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A National Resource for Opioid Policy Science

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Note from the Director

Bradley Stein

It's a new calendar year and a new administration, but the twin challenges of COVID-19 and the opioid crisis remain. Even as we appear to be making progress with respect to the COVID pandemic, the dimensions of the opioid crisis continue to evolve — after leveling off in 2018, opioid-related deaths increased in 2019, and CDC preliminary data suggest greater increases in 2020. COVID-19 has increased stress on the population and decreased social support, with subsequent declines in mental health and increases in substance use disorders.

Federal and state guidelines and policies, such as those related to telehealth, appear to have allowed many patients to continue to receive treatment at a time when many were practicing social distancing or were under stay-at-home orders, but there are substantial concerns regarding the worsening crisis, complicated by state budget pressures that could affect the availability of treatment.

Researchers around the country are exploring how COVID-19 is affecting efforts to contain the opioid crisis, and how it may hamper efforts to provide treatment — see a selection of their insights below in the section entitled National Perspectives. This newsletter also includes some of our methodological work that may be helpful to researchers examining the effects of state policies and initiatives.

As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions at OPTIC@rand.org.

Stay safe. – Bradley Stein, Director OPTIC

Recent Products from OPTIC Researchers

Graphs of data underneath a pad of paper, pen, and digital tablet, photo  by ipopba/Getty Images

Photo by ipopba/Getty Images

Methodological Challenges and Proposed Solutions for Evaluating Opioid Policy Effectiveness

An overview of methodological challenges facing opioid policy researchers when conducting opioid policy evaluation studies using observational data, as well as some potential solutions to those challenges. Read more »

Charts layered over each other on a blue background, photo by Evorona/Getty Images

Photo by Evorona/Getty Images

State-Level Opioid Policy Analyses: Moving Beyond the Classic Difference-in-Difference Model

Webinar presents methods for evaluating the effectiveness of state-level policy using annual state-level data. Watch the Webinar »

Man talking to a doctor on his tablet, photo by AJ_Watt/Getty Images

Photo by AJ_Watt/Getty Images

Telehealth Capability Among Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities in Counties with High Versus Low COVID-19 Social Distancing

Relatively few substance use treatment facilities offered telehealth services at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more »

Close up of a doctor signing a prescription, photo by BartekSzewczyk/Getty Images

Photo by BartekSzewczyk/Getty Images

Assessment of Filled Buprenorphine Prescriptions for Opioid Use Disorder During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

Retail buprenorphine sales for opioid addiction plateaued during the COVID-19 pandemic amidst sharp declines in total prescription sales. Read more »

Close up of prescription pill bottle, photo by DNY59/Getty Images

Photo by DNY59/Getty Images

The Opioid Crisis and State & Federal Policies: It's More Complicated Than You Think

An exploration of recent federal and state policies related to the opioid crisis and the sometimes-unanticipated consequences. Watch the Video »

View All Publications »

Commentary and Press

Transforming U.S. Mental Health System Is Possible; Broad Changes Will Be Needed to Improve Access and Quality (RAND Corporation)

The Health 202: Biden will also have the opioid epidemic to deal with amid the coronavirus pandemic (Washington Post)

Telemedicine for drug addiction treatment: A research roundup and 5 reporting tips (Harvard Kennedy School)

27%

of U.S. substance use facilities reported telehealth availability before COVID-19.

(RAND Corporation)

National Perspectives

A national sampling of thought-provoking research and insights

Admission Practices and Cost of Care for Opioid Use Disorder at Residential Addiction Treatment Programs in the U.S. - Beetham T, et al. Health Affairs

Comparing Actual and Forecasted Numbers of Unique Patients Dispensed Select Medications for Opioid Use Disorder, Opioid Overdose Reversal, and Mental Health, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, United States, January 2019 to May 2020 - Jones CM, et al. Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Data Needs in Opioid Systems Modeling: Challenges and Future Directions - Jalali MS, et al. American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Differences in Availability and Use of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in Residential Treatment Settings in the United States - Huhn AS, et al. JAMA Network Open

Prescription Opioid Dispensing Patterns Prior to Heroin Overdose in a State Medicaid Program: A Case-Control Study - Hartung DM et al. J Gen Intern Med

Economic Studies on the Opioid Crisis: A Review - Maclean JC, et al. NBER Working Paper

Implications of County-Level Variation in U.S. Opioid Distribution - Griffith KN, et al. Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Institutions for Mental Diseases Medicaid Waivers: Impact on Payments For Substance Use Treatment Facilities - Maclean JC, et al. Health Affairs

Laws Limiting Prescribing and Dispensing of Opioids in the United States, 1989-2019 - Davis CS & Lieberman AJ. Addiction

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and Maternal Opioid-Related Diagnoses in the U.S., 2010-2017 - Hirai AH, et al. JAMA

The Economic Burden of Opioid Use Disorder and Fatal Opioid Overdose in the United States, 2017 - Florence C, et al. Drug and Alcohol Dependence

The Purdue Pharma Opioid Settlement — Accountability, or Just the Cost of Doing Business? - Davis, CS. New England Journal of Medicine

Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Among Commercially Insured Patients in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic - Huskamp HA, et al. JAMA

Forthcoming Presentations

March 14-17, 2021
Presenting Emerging Lessons on Opioid Policy Evaluation Methods at Eastern North American Region International Biometric Society (ENAR) Virtual Conference - Beth Ann Griffin, Megan Schuler, and Elizabeth Stuart

April 13, 2021
Presenting Adopting Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in the Criminal Justice System: Sharing Perspectives from Frontline Providers at Center for Mental Health and Addiction Policy - Brendan Saloner

April 28, and May 5, 2021
Presenting State-Level Opioid Policy Analyses: Moving Beyond the Classic Diff-in-Diff Model in OPTIC-hosted Webinars - Beth Ann Griffin, Elizabeth Stuart, and Megan Schuler

June 21-24, 2021
Presenting Methodological Best Practices for Estimating Policy Effects in the Context of Co-Occurring Policies at College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) - Beth Ann Griffin

Leadership

Brad Stein

Bradley Stein

Director

Rosalie Liccardo Pacula

Rosalie Liccardo Pacula

Codirector

Beth Ann Griffin

Beth Ann Griffin

Codirector

 

OPTIC is designed to be a national resource, fostering innovative and high-quality research in opioid policy science, and developing and disseminating methods, tools, and information to the research community, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

https://www.rand.org/OPTIC

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