Habbouche J, et al. - Researchers conducted an interrupted time series analysis of outpatient opioid prescriptions to test the premise that the amount of opioids prescribed following surgery is correlated with the rescheduling of hydrocodone. Data were analyzed for 21,955 patients undergoing surgical procedures in 75 hospitals and 5,120 prescribers. Findings suggested an association of changing hydrocodone from schedule III to schedule II with an increase in the amount of opioids filled in the initial prescription following surgery. They recommended that opioid-related policies require close monitoring to identify and address early unintended effects given the multitude of competing factors that influence the behavior of health professionals prescribing.