CDC clarifies and updated how it classifies opioid‑involved deaths under ICD‑10 (T40.x) because the illicit drug supply (notably fentanyls) blurs the line between prescription and illicit opioids. Those methodological decisions change reported counts and the apparent share of deaths attributable to prescription versus illicit opioids.
— Shifts in death‑coding change who is seen as affected and what interventions (prescription control, law enforcement, harm reduction) are politically and fiscally prioritized.
2026.04.04
100% relevant
CDC authors (Seth et al.) describe revised methods and reference ICD‑10 opioid categories and provisional 2020 estimates (~92,000 overdose deaths), linking coding choices to trend interpretation.
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