A new incentive program in Pennsylvania has successfully improved opioid use disorder treatment initiation by providing financial incentives to hospitals for driving treatment practice changes. The program led to a 50% improvement in the initiation of medication-assisted treatment in Medicaid-enrolled patients. The policy approach may serve as a potential solution to reducing overdose mortality rates, which are particularly high after emergency department discharge. According to the researchers, these results highlight the potential effectiveness of state programs in driving change and suggest that such programs could be considered nationwide as part of a multifaceted approach to mitigating the opioid epidemic. The lead author of the study suggests that emergency department-based initiation of buprenorphine can increase engagement in outpatient treatment and reduce the risk of subsequent opioid overdose.
A new incentive program has been successful in improving the initiation of medication-assisted treatment in Medicaid-enrolled patients for opioid use disorder. The program, which was implemented in Pennsylvania, was designed to enhance “warm hand-offs” from emergency departments to opioid use disorder treatment programs. The program resulted in a 50% improvement in treatment initiation, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, Howard University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Vital Strategies. The findings suggest that this policy approach could be a potential solution to reducing overdose mortality rates, which tend to be high after emergency department discharge. The study involved 17,428 Pennsylvania residents aged 18 to 64 years who were enrolled in Medicaid between 2016 and 2020 and visited an emergency department due to opioid use disorder. The research compared the outcomes of patients seen in hospitals participating in the Opioid Hospital Quality Improvement Program with those who were not. The study found that the incentive program increased prescription fills for buprenorphine and improved the chances of obtaining any form of substance use disorder treatment, including outpatient community treatment programs, within a week of the emergency department visit.
According to lead author Keisha Solomon, Ph.D., state programs that provide financial incentives to hospitals to drive opioid use disorder treatment practice changes may be effective in improving engagement in outpatient treatment and reducing the risk of subsequent opioid overdose. Pennsylvania’s statewide incentive program was able to increase buprenorphine treatment rates in the emergency department and improve follow-up care for opioid use disorder. Solomon suggests that this approach could be considered nationwide as part of a multifaceted approach to mitigating the opioid epidemic. However, it’s worth noting that AAAS and EurekAlert! do not take responsibility for the accuracy of news releases posted on EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
