AUGUST 14, 2024
Nearly 18% of Medicare beneficiaries who experienced an opioid overdose had a second overdose, according to new research results, which also looked at identifying effective interventions and significant gaps in care.
Researchers from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the CDC found that among a cohort of 137,000 Medicare
Nearly 18% of Medicare beneficiaries who experienced an opioid overdose had a second overdose, according to new research results, which also looked at identifying effective interventions and significant gaps in care.
Researchers from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the CDC found that among a cohort of 137,000 Medicare beneficiaries who experienced a nonfatal overdose in 2020, almost 24,000 (17.4%) experienced a subsequent nonfatal overdose, and about 1,300 (1%) died from an overdose in the following year.
“People who have experienced one overdose are more likely to experience another,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, PhD, the Health and Human Services assistant secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “But we found that when survivors received gold-standard care such as medications for opioid use disorder [MOUD] and naloxone, the chances of dying from an overdose in the following year drop dramatically. In short, medications for opioid use disorder, opioid overdose reversal medications and behavioral health supports save lives.”
The study identifies effective, lifesaving interventions following initial nonfatal overdoses. The odds of dying from a subsequent lethal overdose decreased among cohort members who received methadone (58% lower odds), buprenorphine (52% lower odds), or behavioral health assessment or crisis services (75% lower odds). The risk for overdose mortality among those who filled a prescription for naloxone was also reduced by 30%.
Significant gaps in care found in the study include the following: Only 4.1% of the cohort received MOUD, and only 6.2% filled a prescription for naloxone. Beneficiaries receiving MOUD waited a mean of 72 days between their nonfatal overdose and receiving medication.
Dora Hughes, MD, the acting chief medical officer and acting director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality for CMS, added that in addition to the low percentage of beneficiaries receiving medications after experiencing a nonfatal overdose and for those who did receive the medications, there was a significant delay, ranging from six to 105 days.”
—Donald M. Pizzi
Based on a press release from the NIH.
