Last August, we published a study showing that only 5% of emergency department encounters for overdose included a screening test for fentanyl, despite synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, accounting for over 700,000 overdose-related deaths in 2021, per the CDC.1 Over the past year, several Epic organizations took action to incorporate fentanyl toxicology screening into their standard panels used in the ED. Additionally, two states, California and Maryland, have since passed legislation requiring testing for fentanyl as part of their standard toxicology testing, and a third, Pennsylvania, is currently considering similar legislation.
To continue measuring and sharing these important metrics, we’ve released a new Fentanyl and Opiate Toxicology data tracker on Epic Research. As of the end of June 2023, nearly 14% of emergency department overdose encounters in Cosmos are tested for fentanyl. Early data from July and August 2023 show that the upward trend is continuing.
However, the fentanyl testing rate is still over 70% less than the testing rate for opiates, or natural opioids. Additionally, the positivity rate for fentanyl remains high in these ED overdose encounters with over two in five fentanyl toxicology screenings testing positive.
We are encouraged by the increase in fentanyl toxicology screening seen thus far and will continue to update this tracker regularly with the latest metrics, so be sure to check back for the most recent data.
