OBJECTIVES: Pain medication prescribing practices have changed substantially over the past decade, and previous publications evaluating the economic burden of pain management do not reflect current treatment paradigms. The objective of this study was to examine healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and the associated costs of treating patients with acute and chronic pain using prescription pain medications in the United States (US).

METHODS: Using the Merative™ MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Medicare Supplemental Databases [1/1/2022-12/31/2022 (“study period”)], patients aged ≥18 years who received ≥1 prescription for pain medication were classified as experiencing chronic (≥90 total days’ supply) or acute (<90 total days’ supply) pain. All-cause HCRU and associated costs were evaluated over the study period. To estimate costs for patients with pain management, all-cause and costs excluding direct surgical procedure costs were evaluated. Costs were extrapolated to national-level estimates using standardized statistical techniques.

RESULTS: In this study, 1,704,808 acute pain patients and 1,159,539 chronic pain patients were identified. Within the study period, >90% of acute and chronic pain patients underwent ≥1 surgical procedure. Average annual total all-cause HCRU costs were $16,494/patient for patients with acute pain, and $23,705/patient for patients with chronic pain. Among both cohorts, all-cause annual HCRU costs/patient were more than double for patients treated with opioids compared to those who did not receive opioids.

When extrapolated nationally, the estimated annual economic burden of managing patients with acute and chronic pain was $735 billion (B) and $725 B, respectively. Excluding direct surgical costs, the estimated annual economic burden for patients with acute and chronic pain is $373 B and $447 B, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: The total annual economic impact on the US healthcare system of managing painful conditions is substantial; patients who received opioids incurred higher costs.