Opportunity 

The United States continues to face an opioid use disorder (OUD) crisis. In fact, data shows that approximately 81,000 overdoses were documented in 2021, a 15 percent increase from the year before.  

Buprenorphine, also known as bupe, is a safe and effective medication that can be taken at home to treat opioid addiction. It has been shown to cut the risk of dying in the next year by half. However, nationwide only 1 in 6 emergency department (ED) patients with OUD receive addiction treatment in the weeks after they are discharged, and Black patients are half as likely to receive this treatment.

Intervention  

We are running a multi-health system study in partnership with the Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy to test strategies to increase the number of patients with OUD who engage in bupe treatment after an ED visit and decrease the racial gap in who receives treatment. 

We will test the effectiveness of a daily text messaging telehealth program that encourages patients to take their medication and connects those who need help with a trained care coordinator. We are also experimenting with financial incentives to determine if paying patients who start and continue receiving addiction treatment can lead to better outcomes. These strategies will be tested separately and in combination.    

The design of this intervention builds on the lessons learned and technology created for COVID Watch. The study will be administered on the Way to Health platform.  

Impact  

This five-year study is underway thanks to support from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).