---
title: "To Do: Prohibit CMS From Processing Opioid Claims Missing Key Information"
summary: |-
  Congress should prohibit Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from processing Medicaid claims involving opioids that are missing key information.
date: "2019-11-18"
issues: ["Data Innovation"]
content_type: "Knowledge Base Articles"
canonical_url: "https://itif.org/publications/2019/11/18/to-do-prohibit-cms-from-processing-opioid-claims-missing-key-information/"
---

# To Do: Prohibit CMS From Processing Opioid Claims Missing Key Information

# Recommendation

Congress should prohibit Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from processing Medicaid claims involving opioids that are missing key information.

# Details

Medicaid data historically has been incomplete, inaccurate, and out of date, making it inadequate for comprehensive analysis. To remedy this, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began requiring states to submit data to its system on a monthly basis. However, some states do not include important data like National Provider Identifiers (NPIs), diagnosis codes, and unique patient identifiers, which would help identify when providers are overprescribing opioids. Congress should pass a law prohibiting CMS from processing Medicaid claims involving opioids if they are missing this information.

**Keep reading:**

- Joshua New, “How Data Can Help in the Fight Against the Opioid Epidemic in the United States” (Center for Data Innovation, November 2019), [https://www.datainnovation.org/2019/11/how-data-can-help-in-the-fight-against-the-opioid-epidemic-in-the-united-states](https://www.datainnovation.org/2019/11/how-data-can-help-in-the-fight-against-the-opioid-epidemic-in-the-united-states).

---
*Source: Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)*
*URL: https://itif.org/publications/2019/11/18/to-do-prohibit-cms-from-processing-opioid-claims-missing-key-information/*