The review article summarized here delves into a timely question: How long should treatment for opioid addiction last? The authors, Anjali Dhanda, MD, and Edwin Salsitz, MD, look at best practices for treatment duration, discuss factors affecting the ideal length of treatment, and cover some of the many barriers to treatment—barriers that lead many people to either avoid … [Read more...] about REVIEW ARTICLE: How Long Should OAT Last? A Month? A Year? Or…Forever?
STUDY: Do Health Care Costs and Service Usage Increase When Prisoners Are Treated for OUD, Then Released?
With the risk of fatal overdose at least ten times higher in released prisoners than in the general population, there’s a clear need for treating opioid use disorder (OUD) during incarceration. Most of the more than 2 million Americans with OUD have contact at some point with the criminal justice system, so incarceration provides a good opportunity to start treatment. Yet … [Read more...] about STUDY: Do Health Care Costs and Service Usage Increase When Prisoners Are Treated for OUD, Then Released?
STUDY: “Is MAT Cost Effective?” Answer: A Resounding “Yes!”
We’ve long known that opioid use disorder (OUD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, and that far too many people lack access to the effective therapy that medication-assisted treatment (MAT) can provide. Now an important new study published July 2021 in JAMA Psychiatry tells us much more about MAT, describing its cost-saving benefits and improved … [Read more...] about STUDY: “Is MAT Cost Effective?” Answer: A Resounding “Yes!”
Scoping Review: Interim Methadone Services Can Offer a Lifesaving Hand When Someone Desperately Needs Help
When someone with an opioid use disorder (OUD) seeks help at a busy opioid treatment program (OTP), interim methadone services—providing up to 120 days of methadone dosing, without counseling—can make all the difference in that person’s life. But waitlisting is sometimes an OTP’s only option. That’s because many OTPs lack interim methadone services, so all they can offer … [Read more...] about Scoping Review: Interim Methadone Services Can Offer a Lifesaving Hand When Someone Desperately Needs Help
Two Studies Describe Differences in OTP Responses to COVID-19: What Can We Learn?
In these pages of Addiction Treatment Forum we feature two studies describing experiences at opioid treatment programs (OTPs) during COVID-19. The first study, from Bronx/Montefiore OTPs, reports favorable outcomes and more-flexible patient care, compared to pre-COVID. The second study, from RAND Drug Policy Research Center, is based on telephone surveys of caregivers at 20 … [Read more...] about Two Studies Describe Differences in OTP Responses to COVID-19: What Can We Learn?
