Associations between cannabis policies and state-level specialty cannabis use disorder treatment in the United States, 2004-2019.

BACKGROUND: Cannabis use disorder (CUD) treatment prevalence decreased in the US between 2002 and 2019, yet structural mechanisms for this decrease are poorly understood. We tested associations between cannabis laws becoming effective and self-reported CUD treatment. METHODS: Restricted-use 2004-2019 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health included people ages 12+ classified as needing CUD treatment (i.e., past-year DSM-5-proxy CUD or last/current specialty treatment for cannabis). Time-varying indicators of medical cannabis laws (MCL) with/without cannabis dispensary provisions differentiated state-years before/after laws using effective dates. Multi-level logistic regressions with random state intercepts estimated individual- and state-adjusted CUD treatment odds by MCLs and model-based changes in specialty CUD treatment state-level prevalence. Secondary analyses tested associations between CUD treatment and MCL or recreational cannabis laws (RCL). RESULTS: Using a broad treatment need sample definition in 2004-2014, specialty CUD treatment prevalence decreased by 1.35 (95 % CI = -2.51, -0.18) points after MCL without dispensaries and by 2.15 points (95 % CI = -3.29, -1.00) after MCL with dispensaries provisions became effective, compared to before MCL. Among people with CUD in 2004-2014, specialty treatment decreased only in MCL states with dispensary provisions (aPD = -0.91, 95 % CI = -1.68, -0.13). MCL were not associated with CUD treatment use in 2015-2019. RCL were associated with lower CUD treatment among people classified as needing CUD treatment, but not among people with past-year CUD. CONCLUSIONS: Policy-related reductions in specialty CUD treatment were concentrated in states with cannabis dispensary provisions in 2004-2014, but not 2015-2019, and partly driven by reductions among people without past-year CUD. Other mechanisms (e.g., CUD symptom identification, criminal-legal referrals) could contribute to decreasing treatment trends.

Suicide within 1 year of non-fatal overdose: Risk factors and risk reduction with medications for opioid use disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Individuals with substance use disorders and overdoses have high risk of suicide death, but evidence is limited on the relationship between interventions following the initial overdose and subsequent suicide death. METHODS: National Medicare data were used to identify Medicare disability beneficiaries (MDBs) with inpatient or emergency care for non-fatal opioid overdoses from 2008 to 2016. Data were linked with National Death Index (NDI) to obtain dates and causes of death for the sample. Cox proportional hazards models estimated the associations between exposure to interventions (mechanical ventilation, MOUD) and suicide death. RESULTS: The sample (n = 81,654) had a suicide rate in the year following a non-fatal overdose of 566 per 100,000 person-years. Post-overdose MOUD was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.20 (95%CI: 0.05,0.85). Risk of suicide was elevated for those whose initial overdoses required mechanical ventilation as part of the treatment (aHR: 1.86, 95%CI:[1.48,2.34]). CONCLUSIONS: The year following a non-fatal opioid overdose is a very high-risk period for suicide among MDBs. Those receiving MOUD had an 80% reduction in the hazards of suicide, while those whose overdose treatment involved mechanical ventilation had 86% higher hazards of death by suicide. Our findings highlight the importance of psychiatric intervention in this high-risk population. Efforts are needed to initiate and retain more patients in MOUD.

Association of medications for opioid use disorder with reduced risk of repeat opioid overdose in Medicaid: A cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Following a nonfatal opioid overdose, patients are at high risk for repeat overdose. The objective of this study was to examine the association of MOUD after nonfatal opioid overdose with risk of repeat overdose in the following year. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study analyzed Missouri Medicaid claims from July 2012 to December 2021. The study identified opioid overdoses occurring between 2013 and 2020 using diagnosis codes for opioid poisoning in an inpatient or emergency department setting. The study implemented Cox models with a time-varying covariate for post-overdose receipt of MOUD. RESULTS: During the study period, MOUD receipt after overdose more than tripled, from 4.8 % to 18.9 %. Overall, only 12.1 % of patients received MOUD in the year after index. MOUD during follow-up was associated with significantly lower risk of repeat overdose (HR = 0.34, 95 % CI = 0.14-0.82). Out of 3017 individuals meeting inclusion criteria, 13.6 % had a repeat opioid overdose within 1 year. Repeat overdose risk was higher for those whose index overdose involved heroin or synthetic opioids (HR = 1.71, 95 % CI = 1.35-2.15), but MOUD was associated with significantly reduced risk in this group (HR = 0.34, 95 % CI = 0.13-0.92). CONCLUSIONS: MOUD receipt was associated with reduced risk of repeat overdose. Those whose index overdoses involved heroin or synthetic opioids were at greater risk of repeat overdose, but MOUD was associated with reduced risk in this group.

Association of Cannabis Legalization with Cannabis Positive Drug Screening in US Veterans.

Background: Although cannabis legalization is associated with increases in self-report cannabis use, biological measures of cannabis use are needed to address potential bias introduced by improved self-reporting of cannabis use in states enacting medical cannabis laws (MCL) and recreational cannabis laws (RCL). Objective: Quantify the role of MCL and RCL enactment in cannabis positive urine drug screen (UDS) prevalence among Veterans Health Administration (VHA) emergency department (ED) patients from 2008 to 2019. Design: Staggered-adoption difference-in-difference analysis were used to estimate the role of MCL and RCL in cannabis positive UDS data, fitting adjusted linear binomial regression models to estimate the association between MCL and RCL enactment and prevalence of cannabis positive UDS. Participants: VHA enrolled veterans aged 18-75 years with ≥1 ED visit in a given year from 2008 to 2019. Main Measures: Receipt of ≥1 cannabis positive UDS during an ED visit were analyzed. Key Results: From 2008 to 2019, adjusted cannabis positive UDS prevalences increased from 16.4% to 25.6% in states with no cannabis law, 16.6% to 27.6% in MCL-only enacting states, and 18.2% to 33.8% in RCL-enacting states. MCL-only and MCL/RCL enactment was associated with a 0.8% (95% CI, 0.4-1.0) and 2.9% (95% CI, 2.5-3.3) absolute increase in cannabis positive UDS, respectively. Significant effect sizes were found for MCL and RCL, such that 7.0% and 18.5% of the total increase in cannabis positive UDS prevalence in MCL-only and RCL states could be attributed to MCLs and RCLs. Conclusions: In this study of VHA ED patients, MCL and RCL enactment played a significant role in the overall increases in cannabis positive UDS. The increase in a biological measure of cannabis use reduces concerns that previously documented increases in self-reported cannabis use from surveys are due to changes in patient willingness to report use as it becomes more legal.

Independent and joint contributions of physical disability and chronic pain to incident opioid use disorder and opioid overdose among Medicaid patients.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain has been extensively explored as a risk factor for opioid misuse, resulting in increased focus on opioid prescribing practices for individuals with such conditions. Physical disability sometimes co-occurs with chronic pain but may also represent an independent risk factor for opioid misuse. However, previous research has not disentangled whether disability contributes to risk independent of chronic pain. METHODS: Here, we estimate the independent and joint adjusted associations between having a physical disability and co-occurring chronic pain condition at time of Medicaid enrollment on subsequent 18-month risk of incident opioid use disorder (OUD) and non-fatal, unintentional opioid overdose among non-elderly, adult Medicaid beneficiaries (2016-2019). RESULTS: We find robust evidence that having a physical disability approximately doubles the risk of incident OUD or opioid overdose, and physical disability co-occurring with chronic pain increases the risks approximately sixfold as compared to having neither chronic pain nor disability. In absolute numbers, those with neither a physical disability nor chronic pain condition have a 1.8% adjusted risk of incident OUD over 18 months of follow-up, those with physical disability alone have an 2.9% incident risk, those with chronic pain alone have a 3.6% incident risk, and those with co-occurring physical disability and chronic pain have a 11.1% incident risk. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that those with a physical disability should receive increased attention from the medical and healthcare communities to reduce their risk of opioid misuse and attendant negative outcomes.

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Buprenorphine Receipt Among Medicare Beneficiaries, 2015-19.

We examined Medicare Part D claims from the period 2015-19 to identify state and national racial and ethnic disparities in buprenorphine receipt among Medicare disability beneficiaries with diagnosed opioid use disorder or opioid overdose. Racial and ethnic disparities in buprenorphine use remained persistently high during the study period, especially for Black beneficiaries, suggesting the need for targeted interventions and policies.

Racial/ethnic disparities in timely receipt of buprenorphine among Medicare disability beneficiaries.

BACKGROUND: Medicare disability beneficiaries (MDBs) have disproportionately high risk of opioid use disorder (OUD) and related harms given high rates of comorbidities and high-dose opioid prescribing. Despite this increased risk, little is known about timely receipt of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), including potential disparities by patient race/ethnicity or moderation by county-level characteristics. METHODS: National Medicare claims for a sample of MDBs with incident OUD diagnosis between March 2016 and June 2019 were linked with county-level data. Multivariable mixed effects Cox proportional hazards models estimated time (in days) to buprenorphine receipt within 180 days of incident OUD diagnosis. Primary exposures included individual-level race/ethnicity and county-level buprenorphine prescriber availability, percent non-Hispanic white (NHW) residents, and Social Deprivation Index (SDI) score. RESULTS: The sample (n=233,079) was predominantly White (72.3%), ≥45 years old (76.3%), and male (54.8%). Black (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]=0.50; 95% CI, 0.47-0.54), Asian/Pacific Islander (aHR=0.54; 95% CI, 0.41-0.72), Hispanic/Latinx (aHR=0.81; 95% CI, 0.76-0.87), and Other racial/ethnic groups (aHR=0.75; 95% CI, 0.58-0.97) had a lower likelihood of timely buprenorphine than non-Hispanic white beneficiaries after adjusting for individual and county-level confounders. Timely buprenorphine receipt was positively associated with county-level buprenorphine prescriber availability (aHR=1.05; 95% CI, 1.04-1.07), percent non-Hispanic white residents (aHR=1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.01), and SDI (aHR=1.06; 95% CI, 1.01-1.10). CONCLUSIONS: Racial/ethnic disparities highlight the need to improve access to care for underserved groups. Implementing equity-focused quality and performance measures and developing interventions to increase office-based buprenorphine prescribing in predominantly minority race/ethnicity counties may reduce disparities in timely access to medication for OUD.

Buprenorphine Utilization and Prescribing Among New Jersey Medicaid Beneficiaries After Adoption of Initiatives Designed to Improve Treatment Access.

Importance: Buprenorphine is underutilized as a treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD); state policies may improve buprenorphine access and utilization. Objective: To assess buprenorphine prescribing trends following New Jersey Medicaid initiatives designed to improve access. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional interrupted time series analysis included New Jersey Medicaid beneficiaries who were prescribed buprenorphine and had 12 months continuous Medicaid enrollment, OUD diagnosis, and no Medicare dual eligibility, as well as physician or advanced practitioners who prescribed buprenorphine to Medicaid beneficiaries. The study used Medicaid claims data from 2017 to 2021. Exposure: Implementation of New Jersey Medicaid initiatives in 2019 that removed prior authorizations, increased reimbursement for office-based OUD treatment, and established regional Centers of Excellence. Main Outcomes and Measures: Rate of buprenorphine receipt per 1000 beneficiaries with OUD; percentage of new buprenorphine episodes lasting at least 180 days; buprenorphine prescribing rate per 1000 Medicaid prescribers, overall and by specialty. Results: Of 101 423 Medicaid beneficiaries (mean [SD] age, 41.0 [11.6] years; 54 726 [54.0%] male; 30 071 [29.6%] Black, 10 143 [10.0%] Hispanic, and 51 238 [50.5%] White), 20 090 filled at least 1 prescription for buprenorphine from 1788 prescribers. Policy implementation was associated with an inflection point in buprenorphine prescribing trend; after implementation, the trend increased by 36%, from 1.29 (95% CI, 1.02-1.56) prescriptions per 1000 beneficiaries with OUD to 1.76 (95% CI, 1.46-2.06) prescriptions per 1000 beneficiaries with OUD. Among beneficiaries with new buprenorphine episodes, the percentage retained for at least 180 days was stable before and after initiatives were implemented. The initiatives were associated with an increase in the growth rate of buprenorphine prescribers (0.43 per 1000 prescribers; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.51 per 1000 prescribers). Trends were similar across specialties, but increases were most pronounced among primary care and emergency medicine physicians (eg, primary care: 0.42 per 1000 prescribers; 95% CI, 0.32-0.53 per 1000 prescribers). Advanced practitioners accounted for a growing percentage of buprenorphine prescribers, with a monthly increase of 0.42 per 1000 prescribers (95% CI, 0.32-0.52 per 1000 prescribers). A secondary analysis to test for changes associated with non-state-specific secular trends in prescribing found that quarterly trends in buprenorphine prescriptions increased in New Jersey relative to all other states following initiative implementation. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study of state-level New Jersey Medicaid initiatives designed to expand buprenorphine access, implementation was associated with an upward trend in buprenorphine prescribing and receipt. No change was observed in the percentage of new buprenorphine treatment episodes lasting 180 or more days, indicating that retention remains a challenge. Findings support implementation of similar initiatives but highlight the need for efforts to support long-term retention.

Naloxone expansion is not associated with increases in adolescent heroin use and injection drug use: Evidence from 44 US states.

BACKGROUND: Naloxone distribution is central to ongoing efforts to address the opioid overdose crisis. Some critics contend that naloxone expansion may inadvertently promote high-risk substance use behaviors among adolescents, but this question has not been directly investigated. METHODS: We examined relationships between naloxone access laws and pharmacy naloxone distribution with lifetime heroin and injection drug use (IDU), 2007-2019. Models generating adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) included year and state fixed effects, controlled for demographics and sources of variation in opioid environments (e.g., fentanyl penetration), as well as additional policies expected to impact substance use (e.g., prescription drug monitoring). Exploratory and sensitivity analyses further examined naloxone law provisions (e.g., third-party prescribing) and applied e-value testing to assess vulnerability to unmeasured confounding. RESULTS: Adoption of any naloxone law was not associated with changes in adolescent lifetime heroin or IDU. For pharmacy dispensing, we observed a small decrease in heroin use (aOR: 0.95 [CI: 0.92, 0.99]) and a small increase in IDU (aOR: 1.07 [CI: 1.02, 1.11]). Exploratory analyses of law provisions suggested that third-party prescribing (aOR: 0.80, [CI: 0.66, 0.96]) and non-patient-specific dispensing models (aOR: 0.78, [CI: 0.61, 0.99]) were associated with decreased heroin use but not decreased IDU. Small e-values associated with the pharmacy dispensing and provision estimates indicate that unmeasured confounding may explain observed findings. CONCLUSION: Naloxone access laws and pharmacy naloxone distribution were more consistently associated with decreases rather than increases in lifetime heroin and IDU among adolescents. Our findings therefore do not support concerns that naloxone access promotes high-risk adolescent substance use behaviors. As of 2019, all US states have adopted legislation to improve naloxone access and facilitate use. However, further removal of adolescent naloxone access barriers is an important priority given that the opioid epidemic continues to affect people of all ages.

Buprenorphine After Nonfatal Opioid Overdose: Reduced Mortality Risk in Medicare Disability Beneficiaries.

INTRODUCTION: Opioid-involved overdose mortality is a persistent public health challenge, yet limited evidence exists on the relationship between opioid use disorder treatment after a nonfatal overdose and subsequent overdose death. METHODS: National Medicare data were used to identify adult (aged 18-64 years) disability beneficiaries who received inpatient or emergency treatment for nonfatal opioid-involved overdose in 2008-2016. Opioid use disorder treatment was defined as (1) buprenorphine, measured using medication days' supply, and (2) psychosocial services, measured as 30-day exposures from and including each service date. Opioid-involved overdose fatalities were identified in the year after nonfatal overdose using linked National Death Index data. Cox proportional hazards models estimated the associations between time-varying treatment exposures and overdose death. Analyses were conducted in 2022. RESULTS: The sample (N=81,616) was mostly female (57.3%), aged ≥50 years (58.8%), and White (80.9%), with a significantly elevated overdose mortality rate, compared with the general U.S. population (standardized mortality ratio=132.4, 95% CI=129.9, 135.0). Only 6.5% of the sample (n=5,329) had opioid use disorder treatment after the index overdose. Buprenorphine (n=3,774, 4.6%) was associated with a significantly lower risk of opioid-involved overdose death (adjusted hazard ratio=0.38, 95% CI=0.23, 0.64), but opioid use disorder-related psychosocial treatment (n=2,405, 2.9%) was not associated with risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio=1.18, 95% CI=0.71, 1.95). CONCLUSIONS: Buprenorphine treatment after nonfatal opioid-involved overdose was associated with a 62% reduction in the risk of opioid-involved overdose death. However, fewer than 1 in 20 individuals received buprenorphine in the subsequent year, highlighting a need to strengthen care connections after critical opioid-related events, particularly for vulnerable groups.

Association of a State Prescribing Limits Policy with Opioid Prescribing and Long-term Use: an Interrupted Time Series Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Prescription opioids were a major initial driver of the opioid crisis. States have attempted to reduce overprescribing by enacting policies that limit opioid prescriptions, but the impacts of such policies on new prescribing and subsequent transitions to long-term use are not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of implementation of a state prescribing limits policy with opioid prescribing and transitions to long-term opioid use. DESIGN: Interrupted time series analyses assessing trends in new opioid prescriptions and long-term use before and after policy implementation. PATIENTS: A total of 130,591 New Jersey Medicaid enrollees ages 18-64 who received an initial opioid prescription from January 2014 to December 2019. INTERVENTIONS: New Jersey's opioid prescribing limit policy implemented in March 2017. MAIN MEASURES: Total new opioid prescriptions, percentage of new prescriptions with >5 days' supply, and transition to long-term opioid use, defined as having opioid supply on day 90 after the initial prescription. KEY RESULTS: Policy implementation was associated with a significant monthly increase in new opioid prescriptions of 0.86 per 10,000 enrollees, halving the pre-policy decline in the prescribing rate. Among new opioid prescriptions, the percentage with >5 days' supply decreased by about 1 percentage point (-0.76 percentage points, 95% CI -0.89, -0.62) following policy implementation. However, policy implementation was associated with a significant monthly increase in the rate of initial prescriptions with supply on day 90 (9.95 per 10,000 new prescriptions, 95% CI 4.80, 15.11) that reversed the downward pre-implementation trend. CONCLUSIONS: The New Jersey policy was associated with a reduction in initial prescriptions with >5 days' supply, but not with an overall decline in new opioid prescriptions or in the rate at which initial prescriptions led to long-term use. Given their only modest benefits, policymakers and clinicians should carefully weigh potential unintended consequences of strict prescribing limits.

A modified Delphi process to identify experts' perceptions of the most beneficial and harmful laws to reduce opioid-related harm.

BACKGROUND: States have enacted multiple types of laws, with a variety of constituent provisions, in response to the opioid epidemic, often simultaneously. This temporal proximity and variation in state-to-state operationalization has resulted in significant challenges for empirical research on their effects. Thus, expert consensus can be helpful to classify laws and their provisions by their degree of helpfulness and impact. METHODS: We conducted a four-stage modified policy Delphi process to identify the top 10 most helpful and 5 most harmful provisions from eight opioid-related laws. This iterative consultation with six types of opioid experts included a preliminary focus group (n=12), two consecutive surveys (n=56 and n=40, respectively), and a final focus group feedback session (n=5). RESULTS: On a scale of very harmful (0) to very helpful (4), overdose Good Samaritan laws received the highest average helpfulness rating (3.62, 95% CI: 3.48-3.75), followed by naloxone access laws (3.37, 95% CI: 3.22-3.51), and pain management clinic laws (3.08, 95% CI: 2.89-3.26). Drug-induced homicide (DIH) laws were rated the most harmful (0.88, 95% CI: 0.66-1.11). Impact ratings aligned similarly, although Medicaid laws received the second highest overall impact rating (3.71, 95% CI: 3.45, 3.97). The two most helpful provisions were naloxone standing orders (3.94, 95% CI: 3.86-4.02) and Medicaid coverage of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) (3.89, 95% CI: 3.82). Mandatory minimum DIH laws were the most harmful provision (0.73, 95% CI 0.53-0.93); followed by requiring prior authorization for Medicaid coverage of MOUD (1.00 95% CI: 0.72-1.27). CONCLUSION: Overall, experts rated laws and provisions that facilitated harm reduction efforts and access to MOUD as most helpful. Laws and provisions rated as most harmful criminalized substance use and placed restrictions on access to MOUD. These ratings provide a foundation for evaluating the overall overdose policy environment for each state.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Buprenorphine and Extended-Release Naltrexone Filled Prescriptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: COVID-19 disrupted delivery of buprenorphine and naltrexone treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), and during the pandemic, members of racial and ethnic minority groups experienced increased COVID-19 and opioid overdose risks compared with White individuals. However, whether filled buprenorphine and naltrexone prescriptions varied across racial and ethnic groups during the COVID-19 pandemic remains unknown. Objective: To investigate whether disruptions in filled buprenorphine and naltrexone prescriptions differed by race and ethnicity and insurance status or payer type. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study used retail pharmacy claims from May 2019 to June 2021 from the Symphony Health database, which includes 92% of US retail pharmacy claims, with race and ethnicity data spanning all insurance status and payer categories. Interrupted time series were used to estimate levels and trends of dispensed buprenorphine and naltrexone prescriptions before and after pandemic onset. Included individuals were those who filled buprenorphine and extended-release naltrexone prescriptions. Data were analyzed from July 2021 through March 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: Weekly rates of dispensed buprenorphine and extended-release naltrexone prescription fills per 1000 patients and proportion of longer (ie, ≥14 days' supply) buprenorphine prescription fills were calculated. Analyses were stratified by patient race and ethnicity and further by insurance status and payer type for White and Black patients. Results: A total of 1 556 860 individuals who filled buprenorphine prescriptions (4359 Asian [0.3%], 94 657 Black [6.1%], 55 369 Hispanic [3.6%], and 664 779 White [42.7%]) and 127 506 individuals who filled extended-release naltrexone prescriptions (344 Asian [0.3%], 8186 Black [6.4%], 5343 Hispanic [4.2%], and 53 068 White [41.6%]) from May 6, 2019, to June 5, 2021, were analyzed. Prepandemic increases in buprenorphine fill rate flattened for all groups after COVID-19 onset (30.5 percentage point difference in trend; P < .001) compared with prepandemic trends. Significant level decreases in buprenorphine fills (ranging from 2.5% for Black patients; P = .009 to 4.0% for Hispanic patients; P = .009) at pandemic onset were observed for members of racial and ethnic minority groups but not White patients. At pandemic onset, rate of buprenorphine fills decreased in level for Medicare and cash-paying patients but with greater decreases for Black patients (Medicare: 10.0%; P < .001; cash: 20.0%; P < .001) than White patients (Medicare: 3.5%; P = .004; cash: 15.0%; P < .001). No decreases were found among Medicaid patients. Unlike buprenorphine, extended-release naltrexone had uniform level (from 10.0% for White patients with private insurance; P < .001 to 23.3% for Black patients with Medicare; P < .001) and trend (from 15.5 percentage points for White patients with Medicaid; P = .001 to 52.0 percentage points for Black patients with private insurance; P < .001) decreases across groups. Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with immediate decreases in filled buprenorphine prescriptions by members of racial and ethnic minority groups but not White individuals. These findings suggest that members of racial and ethnic minority groups had larger losses in buprenorphine access during the pandemic across payer types.

Use of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Among US Adolescents and Adults With Need for Opioid Treatment, 2019.

Importance: Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is the criterion standard treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), but nationally representative studies of MOUD use in the US are lacking. Objective: To estimate MOUD use rates and identify associations between MOUD and individual characteristics among people who may have needed treatment for OUD. Design, Setting, and Participants: Cross-sectional, nationally representative study using the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health in the US. Participants included community-based, noninstitutionalized adolescent and adult respondents identified as individuals who may benefit from MOUD, defined as (1) meeting criteria for a past-year OUD, (2) reporting past-year MOUD use, or (3) receiving past-year specialty treatment for opioid use in the last or current treatment episode. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were treatment with MOUD compared with non-MOUD services and no treatment. Associations with sociodemographic characteristics (eg, age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, and urbanicity); substance use disorders; and past-year health care or criminal legal system contacts were analyzed. Multinomial logistic regression was used to compare characteristics of people receiving MOUD with those receiving non-MOUD services or no treatment. Models accounted for predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics. Results: In the weighted sample of 2 206 169 people who may have needed OUD treatment (55.5% male; 8.0% Hispanic; 9.9% non-Hispanic Black; 74.6% non-Hispanic White; and 7.5% categorized as non-Hispanic other, with other including 2.7% Asian, 0.9% Native American or Alaska Native, 0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 3.8% multiracial), 55.1% were aged 35 years or older, 53.7% were publicly insured, 52.2% lived in a large metropolitan area, 56.8% had past-year prescription OUD, and 80.0% had 1 or more co-occurring substance use disorders (percentages are weighted). Only 27.8% of people needing OUD treatment received MOUD in the past year. Notably, no adolescents (aged 12-17 years) and only 13.2% of adults 50 years and older reported past-year MOUD use. Among adults, the likelihood of past-year MOUD receipt vs no treatment was lower for people aged 50 years and older vs 18 to 25 years (adjusted relative risk ratio [aRRR], 0.14; 95% CI, 0.05-0.41) or with middle or higher income (eg, $50 000-$74 999 vs $0-$19 999; aRRR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.07-0.44). Compared with receiving non-MOUD services, receipt of MOUD was more likely among adults with at least some college (vs high school or less; aRRR, 2.94; 95% CI, 1.33-6.51) and less likely in small metropolitan areas (vs large metropolitan areas, aRRR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.19-0.93). While contacts with the health care system (85.0%) and criminal legal system (60.5%) were common, most people encountering these systems did not report receiving MOUD (29.5% and 39.1%, respectively). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study, MOUD uptake was low among people who could have benefited from treatment, especially adolescents and older adults. The high prevalence of health care and criminal legal system contacts suggests that there are critical gaps in care delivery or linkage and that cross-system integrated interventions are warranted.

Non-prescribed buprenorphine preceding treatment intake and clinical outcomes for opioid use disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Successful retention on buprenorphine improves outcomes for opioid use disorder (OUD); however, we know little about associations between use of non-prescribed buprenorphine (NPB) preceding treatment intake and clinical outcomes. METHODS: The study conducted observational retrospective analysis of abstracted electronic health record (EHR) data from a multi-state nationwide office-based opioid treatment program. The study observed a random sample of 1000 newly admitted patients with OUD for buprenorphine maintenance (2015-2018) for up to 12 months following intake. We measured use of NPB by mandatory intake drug testing and manual EHR coding. Outcomes included hazards of treatment discontinuation and rates of opioid use. RESULTS: Compared to patients testing negative for buprenorphine at intake, those testing positive (59.6%) had lower hazards of treatment discontinuation (HR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.44, 0.60, p < 0.01). Results were little changed following adjustment for baseline opioid use and other patient characteristics (aHR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.51, 0.70, p < 0.01). Risk of discontinuation did not significantly differ between patients by buprenorphine source: prescribed v. NPB (reference) at admission (HR = 1.15, 95% CI: 0.90, 1.46). Opioid use was lower in the buprenorphine positive group at admission (25.0% vs. 53.1%, p < 0.0001) and throughout early months of treatment but converged after 7 months for those remaining in care (17.1% vs. 16.5%, p = 0.89). CONCLUSION: NPB preceding treatment intake was associated with decreased hazards of treatment discontinuation and lower opioid use. These findings suggest use of NPB may be a marker of treatment readiness and that buprenorphine testing at intake may have predictive value for clinical assessments regarding risk of early treatment discontinuation.

Psychosocial and behavioral therapy in conjunction with medication for opioid use disorder: Patterns, predictors, and association with buprenorphine treatment outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Current evidence indicates that buprenorphine is a highly effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), though premature medication discontinuation is common. Research on concurrent psychosocial and behavioral therapy services and related outcomes is limited. The goal of this study was to define patterns of OUD-related psychosocial and behavioral therapy services received in the first 6 months after buprenorphine initiation, identify patients' characteristics associated with service patterns, and examine the course of buprenorphine treatment, including the association of therapy with medication treatment duration. METHODS: We analyzed 2013-2018 MarketScan Multi-State Medicaid claims data. The sample included adults aged 18-64 years at buprenorphine initiation with treatment episodes of at least 7 days (n = 61,976). We used group-based trajectory models to define therapy service patterns and multinomial logistic regression to identify pre-treatment patient characteristics associated with therapy trajectories. Multinomial propensity-score weighted Cox proportional hazards regression estimated time to buprenorphine discontinuation and unweighted Cox proportional hazards models estimated risk of adverse health care events during buprenorphine treatment (all-cause and opioid-related inpatient and emergency department services, overdose treatment). RESULTS: We identified three trajectories of psychosocial and behavioral therapy services: none (73.8%), low-intensity (17.2%), and high-intensity (9.0%). Compared to those without therapy, low-intensity and high-intensity service patterns were associated with behavioral health diagnoses and medical treatment for opioid overdose in the baseline period prior to buprenorphine initiation. The hazard of buprenorphine discontinuation was significantly lower for low-intensity (HR = 0.55; 95% CI, 0.54-0.57) and high-intensity (HR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.67-0.74) therapy groups compared to those without therapy services. Yet patients in the high-intensity therapy group had increased risk of opioid-related health care events during buprenorphine treatment, including medical treatment for opioid overdose (HR = 1.29; 95% CI, 1.01-1.64). CONCLUSION: Most patients received little or no OUD-related psychosocial and behavioral therapy after initiating buprenorphine treatment. Patients who received therapy had characteristics indicating greater treatment needs as well as more complex treatment courses. Concurrent therapy services may help to address premature buprenorphine discontinuation, particularly for patients with high-risk clinical profiles; however, future prospective research should determine whether therapy is effective for extending buprenorphine retention.

Opioid overdose survivors: Medications for opioid use disorder and risk of repeat overdose in Medicaid patients.

BACKGROUND: Patients with medically-treated opioid overdose are at high risk for subsequent adverse outcomes, including repeat overdose. Understanding factors associated with repeat overdose can aid in optimizing post-overdose interventions. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal, retrospective cohort study using NJ Medicaid data from 2014 to 2019. Medicaid beneficiaries aged 12-64 with an index opioid overdose from 2015 to 2018 were followed for one year for subsequent overdose. Exposures included patient demographics; co-occurring medical, mental health, and substance use disorders; service and medication use in the 180 days preceding the index overdose; and MOUD following index overdose. RESULTS: Of 4898 individuals meeting inclusion criteria, 19.6% had repeat opioid overdoses within one year. Index overdoses involving heroin/synthetic opioids were associated with higher repeat overdose risk than those involving prescription/other opioids only (HR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.22-1.71). Risk was higher for males and those with baseline opioid use disorder diagnosis or ED visits. Only 21.7% received MOUD at any point in the year following overdose. MOUD was associated with a large decrease in repeat overdose risk among those with index overdose involving heroin/synthetic opioids (HR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.20-0.46). Among those receiving MOUD at any point in follow-up, 10.5% (112/1065) experienced repeat overdose versus 22.1% (848/3833) for those without MOUD. CONCLUSIONS: Repeat overdose was common among individuals with medically-treated opioid overdose. Risk factors for repeat overdose varied by type of opioid involved in index overdose, with differential implications for intervention. MOUD following index opioid overdose involving heroin/synthetic opioids was associated with reduced repeat overdose risk.