A new policy brief from the Pioneer Institute, a privately funded research organization in Massachusetts, shows a program for opioid overdose patients at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth (Mass.) is preventing relapses and helping return opioid users to their lives.
The program, which was implemented last October, includes two important innovations. The first is a "behavioral health team" that BID-Plymouth embedded in its emergency department to work with overdose patients as soon as they arrive at the hospital. The team is comprised of nurse practitioners, social workers and specialists in aftercare and substance abuse.
The second innovation, Project Outreach, is a collaboration between the hospital's social workers, local police departments and substance abuse treatment centers. Together, the members of Project Outreach arrange to have a substance abuse specialist visit overdose patients at their home within 12 to 48 hours of their hospital discharge.
The goal of the overall program, called the Integrated Health Care and Substance Use Collaborative, is to intervene with the patients at their most vulnerable time, counsel them and connect them to a residential or outpatient treatment program immediately, since studies have shown patients who have to wait to access a detox program are far more likely to continue using opioids.
Early data from the program shows 85 percent of the BID-Plymouth patients who were visited after being discharged have agreed to enter treatment. Additionally, the authors of the brief say the approach looks promising in terms of reducing hospital costs and should be considered for implementation by other hospitals and health systems.
"The Integrated Health Care and Substance Use Collaborative brings together medical personnel, substance abuse specialists and law enforcement to combat this urgent problem in an innovative way that offers a strong model for other hospitals to follow," said Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios.
To access the full policy brief, click here.
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