Lifesaving addiction medications are rarely started following opioid overdose emergencies, research finds

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Less than 20% of Medicaid patients who visited U.S. hospital emergency departments for opioid overdoses in 2018 were prescribed effective medications for opioid addiction, according to a study by the University of Michigan. The researchers analyzed national Medicaid claims data and found that crucial opportunities to prevent opioid overdose deaths were being missed for Medicaid patients. The study also identified eight states with higher initiation rates for opioid addiction treatment after emergency department visits. The researchers believe that better use of these medications following emergency care can prevent future opioid overdoses, fatalities, and other harms of opioid addiction.



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