Hospitals Put Native Americans at Opioid Risk, Audit Says

Indian Medical Center is shown Saturday, July 20, 2019 in Phoenix. A federal audit released Monday, July 22, finds that government hospitals placed Native Americans at increased risk for opioid abuse and overdoses. The audit says a handful of Indian Health Service hospitals failed to follow the agency's protocols for dispensing and prescribing the drug. The Indian Health Service agreed with the more than a dozen recommendations and says changes are in the works. AP Photo/Matt York

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—U.S. government hospitals placed Native American patients at increased risk for opioid abuse and overdoses, failing to follow their own protocols for prescribing and dispensing the drugs, according to a federal audit made public on July 22.

While the report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General doesn’t draw conclusions about actual abuse or overdoses, it said all five Indian Health Service hospitals that were reviewed had patients who were given opioids in amounts exceeding federal guidelines.