March 22, 2022
Opioid/Substance Use Disorders
  • A new RAND Corp. study found that less than a third of patients who were given drugs in emergency departments to treat opioid addiction follow up and continue their treatments. The study examined 92 percent of prescriptions filled at U.S. retail pharmacies before and during the pandemic and found 71.5 percent of patients who filled buprenorphine prescriptions from emergency physicians didn’t fill subsequent scripts from other clinicians. Researchers say there may need to be new initiatives, like creating bridge clinics, to help people transition to community care, as well as payment changes. (Study here)