Addiction Consult Services, Mortality, and Acute Care Utilization in Inpatients With Opioid Use Disorder

Do hospital addiction consult services decrease 1-year acute care utilization or mortality among patients with opioid use disorder?This secondary analysis of a cluster randomized clinical trial with 1355 admissions studying the effectiveness of addiction consult services, acute care utilization (hospitalizations and emergency department [ED] visits) and mortality (all-cause and overdose deaths) among patients hospitalized with opioid use disorder found that in the year after discharge, patients receiving the intervention had significantly fewer ED admissions than those receiving usual care. Rates of hospitalization and death were not significantly different between groups.In this study, an interprofessional hospital addiction consultation service reduced ED visits but not hospital admissions or mortality among patients with opioid use disorder, highlighting the need for comprehensive care that goes beyond the hospital and addresses the complex health and social needs of people who use opioids.

Corresponding Author: Jennifer McNeely, MD, MS, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 180 Madison Ave, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10016 (jennifer.mcneely@nyulangone.org).

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