Receiving telehealth providers for opioid use dysfunction in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic was related to diminished odds for deadly overdose amongst Medicare beneficiaries, in accordance with a study published in JAMA Psychiatry.
Researchers from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, the Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies, and the Nationwide Institutes of Well being studied two cohorts of fee-for-service beneficiaries beginning an OUD-related episode of care: one pre-pandemic group of greater than 105,000 and a second pandemic group of greater than 70,000.
They discovered beneficiaries who began care in the course of the pandemic and acquired OUD-related telehealth providers had a 33% diminished danger of a deadly overdose. Although mortality charges have been larger within the pandemic group, the share of deaths as a result of overdoses have been comparable between the cohorts.
Researchers additionally discovered sufferers who acquired medicines for OUD from therapy packages had a 59% diminished danger of deadly overdose, whereas those that acquired buprenorphine in workplace settings had a 38% decrease danger. Nonetheless, receiving extended-release naltrexone in workplace settings wasn’t linked to decrease odds of overdose.
“This cohort examine discovered that, amongst Medicare beneficiaries initiating OUD-related care in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, receipt of OUD-related telehealth providers was related to diminished danger for deadly drug overdose, as was receipt of MOUD from opioid therapy packages and receipt of buprenorphine in office-based settings,” the examine’s authors wrote. “Methods to broaden provision of MOUD, improve retention in care and deal with co-occurring bodily and behavioral well being circumstances are wanted.”
WHY IT MATTERS
Overdose deaths total spiked in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching more than 107,000 in 2021. Greater than 80,000 deaths concerned opioids.
The most recent examine reflects earlier research on OUD-related telehealth providers. Nonetheless, the authors notice that few sufferers are accessing care. Just one in 5 Medicare beneficiaries within the pandemic cohort acquired telehealth providers, and one in eight acquired medicines for OUD.
“The outcomes of this examine add to the rising analysis documenting the advantages of increasing using telehealth providers for folks with opioid use dysfunction, in addition to the necessity to enhance retention and entry to treatment therapy for opioid use dysfunction,” lead creator Christopher M. Jones, director of the Nationwide Heart for Damage Prevention and Management on the CDC, stated in a press release. “The findings from this collaborative examine additionally spotlight the significance of working throughout businesses to determine profitable methods to handle and get forward of the continually evolving overdose disaster.”
Margie Zuk and Melissa “Penny” Chase will provide extra element on the HIMSS23 session “Making ready for the Subsequent Cyber Assault.” It’s scheduled for Wednesday, April 19 at 10:15 a.m. – 10:35 a.m. CT on the North Constructing, Stage 3, in Corridor B, Sales space 8539, Federal Well being Pavilion.