Publications

BACKGROUND: Low-value care cascades, defined as the receipt of downstream health services potentially related to a low-value service, can result in harm to patients and wasteful healthcare spending, yet have not been characterized within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

OBJECTIVE: To examine if the receipt of low-value preoperative testing is associated with greater utilization and costs of potentially related downstream health services in Veterans undergoing low or intermediate-risk surgery.

DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using VHA administrative data from fiscal years 2017-2018 comparing Veterans who underwent low-value preoperative electrocardiogram (EKG) or chest radiograph (CXR) with those who did not.

PARTICIPANTS: National cohort of Veterans at low risk of cardiopulmonary disease undergoing low- or intermediate-risk surgery.

MAIN MEASURES: Difference in rate of receipt and attributed cost of potential cascade services in Veterans who underwent low-value preoperative testing compared to those who did not KEY RESULTS: Among 635,824 Veterans undergoing low-risk procedures, 7.8% underwent preoperative EKG. Veterans who underwent a preoperative EKG experienced an additional 52.4 (95% CI 47.7-57.2) cascade services per 100 Veterans, resulting in $138.28 (95% CI 126.19-150.37) per Veteran in excess costs. Among 739,005 Veterans undergoing low- or intermediate-risk surgery, 3.9% underwent preoperative CXR. These Veterans experienced an additional 61.9 (95% CI 57.8-66.1) cascade services per 100 Veterans, resulting in $152.08 (95% CI $146.66-157.51) per Veteran in excess costs. For both cohorts, care cascades consisted largely of repeat tests, follow-up imaging, and follow-up visits, with low rates invasive services.

CONCLUSIONS: Among a national cohort of Veterans undergoing low- or intermediate-risk surgeries, low-value care cascades following two routine low-value preoperative tests are common, resulting in greater unnecessary care and costs beyond the initial low-value service. These findings may guide de-implementation policies within VHA and other integrated healthcare systems that target those services whose downstream effects are most prevalent and costly.

After a period of "emergency remote teaching" precipitated by COVID-19, academic medical centers are moving into a second, more mature phase in online education. This article offers guidance to institutions planning for this second phase. In it, we advocate a reorientation towards "instructional teams;" outline typical roles and skill sets on instructional teams; discuss the hardware, software, and space required to develop high-quality online courses; and describe common pitfalls experienced by instructional teams along with strategies to avoid them. Our objective is to help institutions hoping to develop high-quality, sustainable online programming to set realistic and informed expectations, allocate resources intelligently, hire appropriately, and work productively.

BACKGROUND: Limited information exists about testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among Medicaid enrollees after starting medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), despite guidelines recommending such testing. Our objectives were to estimate testing prevalence and trends for HIV, HBV, and HCV among Medicaid enrollees initiating MOUD and examine enrollee characteristics associated with testing.

METHODS: We conducted a serial cross-sectional study of 505 440 initiations of MOUD from 2016 to 2019 among 361 537 Medicaid enrollees in 11 states. Measures of MOUD initiation; HIV, HBV, and HCV testing; comorbidities; and demographics were based on enrollment and claims data. Each state used Poisson regression to estimate associations between enrollee characteristics and testing prevalence within 90 days of MOUD initiation. We pooled state-level estimates to generate global estimates using random effects meta-analyses.

RESULTS: From 2016 to 2019, testing increased from 20% to 25% for HIV, from 22% to 25% for HBV, from 24% to 27% for HCV, and from 15% to 19% for all 3 conditions. Adjusted rates of testing for all 3 conditions were lower among enrollees who were male (vs nonpregnant females), living in a rural area (vs urban area), and initiating methadone or naltrexone (vs buprenorphine). Associations between enrollee characteristics and testing varied across states.

CONCLUSIONS: Among Medicaid enrollees in 11 US states who initiated medications for opioid use disorder, testing for human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and all 3 conditions increased between 2016 and 2019 but the majority were not tested.

IMPORTANCE: Emergency department (ED)-based initiation of buprenorphine has been shown to increase engagement in outpatient treatment and reduce the risk of subsequent opioid overdose; however, rates of buprenorphine treatment in the ED and follow-up care for opioid use disorder (OUD) remain low in the US. The Opioid Hospital Quality Improvement Program (O-HQIP), a statewide financial incentive program designed to increase engagement in OUD treatment for Medicaid-enrolled patients who have ED encounters, has the potential to increase ED-initiated buprenorphine treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between hospitals attesting to an ED buprenorphine treatment O-HQIP pathway and patients' subsequent initiation of buprenorphine treatment.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study included Pennsylvania patients aged 18 to 64 years with continuous Medicaid enrollment 6 months before their OUD ED encounter and at least 30 days after discharge between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020. Patients with a claim for medication for OUD 6 months before their index encounter were excluded.

EXPOSURES: Hospital implementation of an ED buprenorphine treatment O-HQIP pathway.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The main outcome was patients' receipt of buprenorphine within 30 days of their index OUD ED visit. Between August 2021 and January 2023, data were analyzed using a difference-in-differences method to evaluate the association between hospitals' O-HQIP attestation status and patients' treatment with buprenorphine after ED discharge.

RESULTS: The analysis included 17 428 Medicaid-enrolled patients (female, 43.4%; male, 56.6%; mean [SD] age, 37.4 [10.8] years; Black, 17.5%; Hispanic, 7.9%; White, 71.6%; other race or ethnicity, 3.0%) with OUD seen at O-HQIP-attesting or non-O-HQIP-attesting hospital EDs. The rate of prescription fills for buprenorphine within 30 days of an OUD ED discharge in the O-HQIP attestation hospitals before the O-HQIP intervention was 5%. The O-HQIP attestation was associated with a statistically significant increase (2.6 percentage points) in prescription fills for buprenorphine within 30 days of an OUD ED discharge (β, 0.026; 95% CI, 0.005-0.047).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cohort study, the O-HQIP was associated with an increased initiation of buprenorphine in patients with OUD presenting to the ED. These findings suggest that statewide incentive programs may effectively improve outcomes for patients with OUD.

BACKGROUND: Access to providers and programs that provide medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) remains a systemic barrier for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), particularly if they live in rural areas. The Rural Access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) in Pennsylvania Project (Project RAMP) addressed this problem with a multisystem partnership that recruited, trained, and supported rural primary care providers to provide MOUD and implement an integrated care model (ICM) for patients with OUD. Given the demonstrated efficacy of Project RAMP, this article summarizes our recruitment strategies, including feasibility concerns for further expansion into other regions.

METHODS: The approach for recruiting implementation sites included two phases: partner outreach and site identification. Once recruited, the Systems Transformation Framework guided planning and implementation activities. Recruitment and implementation activities were assessed with implementation trackers and evaluated by providers via key informant interviews (KIIs).

RESULTS: Project RAMP recruited 26 primary care practices from 13 counties, including nine health systems and two private practice groups-exceeding the original target of 24 sites. There was a median of 49 days from first contact to project onboarding. A total of 108 primary care practices spanning 22 health systems declined participation. Findings from the KIIs highlighted the value of engaging PCPs by connecting to a shared vision (i.e., improving the quality of patient care) as well as addressing perceived participation barriers (e.g., offering concierge technical assistance to address lack of training or resources).

CONCLUSION: Findings highlight how successful recruitment activities should leverage the support of health system leadership. Findings also emphasize that aiding recruitment and engagement efforts successfully addressed prescribers' perceived barriers to providing MOUD as well as facilitating better communication among administrators, PCPs, behavioral health professionals, care managers, and patients.Plain Language Summary: Opioid use disorder (OUD) is one of the leading causes of preventable illness and death. The standard of care for OUD is the provision of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and the application of an integrative integrated care model (ICM) where behavioral health is blended with specialized medical services. Unfortunately, access to providers and healthcare facilities that provide MOUD or apply an ICM remains a systemic barrier for patients with OUD, particularly if they live in rural areas. Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to implementing MOUD in primary care, findings from Project The Rural Access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) in Pennsylvania Project (Project RAMP) highlight strategies that may improve future MOUD and ICM implementation efforts in similar rural contexts. Specifically, future efforts to increase MOUD capacity by recruiting new providers should be prepared to leverage health system leadership, address provider barriers via training and expert consultation, and facilitate connections to local behavioral health providers. This approach may be helpful to others recruiting health systems and primary care practices to implement new care models to use MOUD in treating patients with OUD.

IMPORTANCE: Federal and state agencies granted temporary regulatory waivers to prevent disruptions in access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) during the COVID-19 pandemic, including expanding access to telehealth for MOUD. Little is known about changes in MOUD receipt and initiation among Medicaid enrollees during the pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: To examine changes in receipt of any MOUD, initiation of MOUD (in-person vs telehealth), and the proportion of days covered (PDC) with MOUD after initiation from before to after declaration of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This serial cross-sectional study included Medicaid enrollees aged 18 to 64 years in 10 states from May 2019 through December 2020. Analyses were conducted from January through March 2022.

EXPOSURES: Ten months before the COVID-19 PHE (May 2019 through February 2020) vs 10 months after the PHE was declared (March through December 2020).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary outcomes included receipt of any MOUD and outpatient initiation of MOUD via prescriptions and office- or facility-based administrations. Secondary outcomes included in-person vs telehealth MOUD initiation and PDC with MOUD after initiation.

RESULTS: Among a total of 8 167 497 Medicaid enrollees before the PHE and 8 181 144 after the PHE, 58.6% were female in both periods and most enrollees were aged 21 to 34 years (40.1% before the PHE; 40.7% after the PHE). Monthly rates of MOUD initiation, representing 7% to 10% of all MOUD receipt, decreased immediately after the PHE primarily due to reductions in in-person initiations (from 231.3 per 100 000 enrollees in March 2020 to 171.8 per 100 000 enrollees in April 2020) that were partially offset by increases in telehealth initiations (from 5.6 per 100 000 enrollees in March 2020 to 21.1 per 100 000 enrollees in April 2020). Mean monthly PDC with MOUD in the 90 days after initiation decreased after the PHE (from 64.5% in March 2020 to 59.5% in September 2020). In adjusted analyses, there was no immediate change (odds ratio [OR], 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.01) or change in the trend (OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 1.00-1.01) in the likelihood of receipt of any MOUD after the PHE compared with before the PHE. There was an immediate decrease in the likelihood of outpatient MOUD initiation (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85-0.96) and no change in the trend in the likelihood of outpatient MOUD initiation (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-1.00) after the PHE compared with before the PHE.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cross-sectional study of Medicaid enrollees, the likelihood of receipt of any MOUD was stable from May 2019 through December 2020 despite concerns about potential COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions in care. However, immediately after the PHE was declared, there was a reduction in overall MOUD initiations, including a reduction in in-person MOUD initiations that was only partially offset by increased use of telehealth.

INTRODUCTION: Residential treatment is a key component of the opioid use disorder care continuum, but research has not measured well the differences in its use across states at the enrollee level.

METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study used Medicaid claims data from nine states to document the prevalence of residential treatment for opioid use disorder and to describe the characteristics of patients receiving care. For each patient characteristic, chi-square and t-tests tested for differences in the distribution between individuals who did and did not receive residential care.

RESULTS: Among 491,071 Medicaid enrollees with opioid use disorder, 7.5 % were treated in residential facilities in 2019, though this number ranged widely (0.3-14.6 %) across states. Residential patients were more likely to be younger, non-Hispanic White, male, and living in an urban area. Although residential patients were less likely than those without residential care to be eligible for Medicaid through disability, diagnoses for comorbid conditions were more frequently observed among residential patients.

CONCLUSIONS: Results from this large, multi-state study add context to the ongoing national conversation around opioid use disorder treatment and policy, providing a baseline for future work.

BACKGROUND: Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is evidence-based treatment during pregnancy and postpartum. Prior studies show racial/ethnic differences in receipt of MOUD during pregnancy. Fewer studies have examined racial/ethnic differences in MOUD receipt and duration during the first year postpartum and in the type of MOUD received during pregnancy and postpartum.

METHODS: We used Medicaid administrative data from 6 states to compare the percentage of women with any MOUD and the average proportion of days covered (PDC) with MOUD, overall and by type of MOUD, during pregnancy and four postpartum periods (1-90 days, 91-180 days, 181-270 days, and 271-360 days postpartum) among White non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, and Hispanic women diagnosed with OUD.

RESULTS: White non-Hispanic women were more likely to receive any MOUD during pregnancy and all postpartum periods compared to Hispanic and Black non-Hispanic women. For all MOUD types combined and for buprenorphine, White non-Hispanic women had the highest average PDC during pregnancy and each postpartum period, followed by Hispanic women and Black non-Hispanic women (e.g., for all MOUD types, 0.49 vs. 0.41 vs. 0.23 PDC, respectively, during days 1-90 postpartum). For methadone, White non-Hispanic and Hispanic women had similar average PDC during pregnancy and postpartum, and Black non-Hispanic women had substantially lower PDC.

CONCLUSIONS: There are stark racial/ethnic differences in MOUD during pregnancy and the first year postpartum. Reducing these inequities is critical to improving health outcomes among pregnant and postpartum women with OUD.