Institutional Reductions in Opioid Prescribing Following Hip Arthroscopy Do Not Change Patient Satisfaction Scores

PURPOSE: To investigate what effect decreased opioid prescribing following hip arthroscopy had on Press–Ganey satisfaction survey scores. METHODS: A retrospective review of prospectively collected data was conducted on patients who underwent primary hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement between October 2014 and October 2019. Inclusion criteria consisted of complete Press–Ganey survey information, no history of trauma, fracture, connective tissue disease, developmental hip dysplasia, autoimmune disease, or previous hip arthroscopy. Groups were separated based on date of surgery relative to implementation of an institutional opioid reduction policy that occurred in October 2018. Prescriptions were converted to milligram morphine equivalents (MME) for direct comparison between different opioids. RESULTS: A total of 113 patients met inclusion criteria, 88 preprotocol and 25 postprotocol. There were no statistically significant differences between groups with respect to patient demographics or intraoperative pathologies (P > .05). Average opioid prescription dropped from 249.6 ± 152 MME (equivalent to 33.3 tablets of oxycodone 5 mg) preprotocol to 108.6 ± 84.7 MME (equivalent to 14.5 tablets of oxycodone 5 mg) postprotocol; P = .0002. There were no statistically significant differences in Press–Ganey survey scores between pre- and postprotocol groups (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: A reduction in opioids prescribed after a hip arthroscopy is not associated with any statistically significant difference in patient satisfaction with pain management, as measured by the Press–Ganey survey. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective comparative study.