The American Society of Addiction Medicine and the American Medical Association unveiled a concept paper for a new payment model regarding opioid use disorder treatment.
Here are five insights.
1. The alternative payment model is called Patient-Centered Opioid Addiction Treatment.
2. The goal is to expand the number of patients with opioid use disorder who can successfully manage their condition as well as decrease healthcare costs related to addiction.
3. P-COAT is designed to boost utilization of and access to medications treating opioid use disorder by offering financial support and expanding coordinated delivery of medical, psychological and social support services.
4. The payment model is backed by research showing medication integrated with psychosocial support proves effective in treatment for opioid use disorder. The AMA and ASAM note the current physician payment system doesn't support coordination of all needed services.
5. The AMA and ASAM are calling for physician practices and payers to pilot the new payment model.
Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine researchers investigated the impact of opioid use on adult spinal deformity spine surgery patients.
The study included 475 patients from 18 surgical centers who underwent ASD surgery between 2008 and 2015.
Spine published the study.
Here are six things to know.
1. Forty-four percent of the patients self-reported daily pre-surgery opioid use.
2. Patients taking narcotic opioids were older on average than non-daily users.
3. Thirty-seven percent of daily narcotic users suffered from depression compared to 14 percent of non-daily users.
4. Researchers found daily opioid users had more comorbidities as well as greater back pain and disability.
5. Daily opioid users faced a 70 percent higher chance of an extended length of stay compared to non-daily users. Additionally, daily users had an average of a 16-hour longer stay in the intensive care unit and 690 percent higher chance of using opioids daily at two-year follow up.
6. The researchers note self-reports of opioid use may be unreliable.