Prescription opioid use continues to contribute to significant morbidity and mortality in the United States. Every day, 128 people in the U.S. die after overdosing on opioids. Nearly 2 million individuals in the U.S. have a prescription use disorder. 

Data from opioid-related medical liability claims indicates that the top chief medical factors linked to opioid-related claims include:

• medication errors;
• failure to supervise or monitor a case;
• failure to instruct or communicate with a patient; and
• failure to recognize a complication of a treatment.

The claims in this publication have clear risk management issues related to these chief factors.