RTI International Researchers Develop New Metric to Track Acute Care Events in Opioid Treatment Programs
Researchers at RTI International have introduced a new quality measurement tool designed to track substance use-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations within 90 days of patients starting opioid treatment. By utilizing Medicaid claims data, the measure allows for tracking patient outcomes without requiring additional administrative reporting from healthcare providers. A study published in the journal 'Addiction' analyzed over 412,000 treatment episodes across 1,226 U.S. programs during 2024. The findings revealed a median 90-day acute care rate of 5%, though significant variability exists between programs, with the middle 50% ranging from 2.8% to 8.0%. The development of this metric aims to provide policymakers and payers with better visibility into treatment efficacy. By identifying where patients experience serious adverse events post-treatment initiation, health agencies can more effectively target interventions to improve care quality for those with opioid use disorder.
Topics: healthcare quality measurement Medicaid opioid treatment public health research substance use disorder