CDC explains that opioid overdose categories rely on ICD‑10 codes and that, as illicitly manufactured fentanyl surged, it updated its method (2018) to avoid counting those deaths as 'prescription opioid' fatalities. Distinguishing natural/semisynthetic opioids and methadone from illicit synthetics yields truer trends and better targeting.
— Measurement choices shape blame, lawsuits, and interventions in the opioid crisis, so misclassifying illicit fentanyl as 'prescription' deaths can distort policy.
2025.10.07
100% relevant
CDC’s clarification of T40.x ICD‑10 codes and reference to the 2018 Seth et al. method update to quantify prescription opioid–involved deaths amid a changing illicit supply.
2024.08.21
74% relevant
The page notes 'commonly prescribed opioids are no longer driving the overdose epidemic' and that IMF involvement became the main driver in deaths that also listed prescription opioids, underscoring the need to separate illicit fentanyl from Rx opioid trends.
2023.03.08
70% relevant
The report explicitly isolates "synthetic opioids other than methadone" (ICD‑10 T40.4), largely illicitly manufactured fentanyl, and shows that deaths involving this category drove increases across other drug labels via co‑involvement. This aligns with the warning that measurement must separate illicit fentanyl from prescription‑opioid deaths.
← Back to All Ideas