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Offering nurse care management for opioid use disorder in primary care: Impact on emergency and hospital utilization in a cluster-randomized implementation trial

Patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) have increased emergency and hospital utilization. The PROUD trial showed that implementation of office-based addiction treatment (OBAT) increased OUD medication treatment compared to usual care, but did not decrease acute care utilization in patients…

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Intravenous Opioid Administration During Mechanical Ventilation and Use After Hospital Discharge

Guidelines recommend an analgesia-first strategy for sedation during mechanical ventilation, but associations between opioids provided during mechanical ventilation and posthospitalization opioid-related outcomes are unclear. To evaluate associations between an intravenous opioid dose received during mechanical ventilation and postdischarge opioid-related outcomes…

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Self-reported pain severity and use of cannabis and opioids in persons with HIV in an urban primary care setting in Northern California: A cross-sectional study

Persons with HIV (PWH) experience high levels of pain. We examined the relationship of pain severity with use of cannabis and prescription opioids among PWH. This cross-sectional study evaluated associations between self-reported pain (moderate/severe vs mild/none) and cannabis and prescription…

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Addiction Medicine Treatment Utilization by Race/Ethnicity Among Adolescents With Substance Use Problems Before Versus During the COVID-19 Pandemic

To examine changes in addiction medicine treatment utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic among adolescents (aged 13-17 years) and differences by race/ethnicity. We compared treatment initiation (overall and telehealth), engagement, and 12-week retention between insured adolescents with substance use problems during pre-COVID-19…

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Association of initial opioid prescription duration and an opioid refill by pain diagnosis: Evidence from outpatient settings in ten US health systems

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2022 Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain cautioned that inflexible opioid prescription duration limits may harm patients. Information about the relationship between initial opioid prescription duration and a subsequent refill could…

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A patient activation intervention in primary care for patients with chronic pain on long term opioid therapy: results from a randomized control trial

Given significant risks associated with long-term prescription opioid use, there is a need for non-pharmacological interventions for treating chronic pain. Activating patients to manage chronic pain has the potential to improve health outcomes. The ACTIVATE study was designed to evaluate…

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Overall and Telehealth Addiction Treatment Utilization by Age, Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status in California After COVID-19 Policy Changes

Addiction treatment rapidly transitioned to a primarily telehealth modality (telephone and video) during the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about disparities in utilization. To examine whether there were differences in overall and telehealth addiction treatment utilization after telehealth policy changes during…

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Baseline representativeness of patients in clinics enrolled in the PRimary care Opioid Use Disorders treatment (PROUD) trial: comparison of trial and non-trial clinics in the same health systems

Pragmatic primary care trials aim to test interventions in "real world" health care settings, but clinics willing and able to participate in trials may not be representative of typical clinics. This analysis compared patients in participating and non-participating clinics from…

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Alcohol brief intervention, specialty treatment and drinking outcomes at 12 months: Results from a systematic alcohol screening and brief intervention initiative in adult primary care

Alcohol screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) in adult primary care is an evidence-based, public health strategy to address unhealthy alcohol use, but evidence of effectiveness of alcohol brief intervention (ABI) in real-world implementation is lacking. We fit…

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The Feasibility and Utility of Harnessing Digital Health to Understand Clinical Trajectories in Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: D-TECT Study Design and Methodological Considerations

Across the U.S., the prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) and the rates of opioid overdoses have risen precipitously in recent years. Several effective medications for OUD (MOUD) exist and have been shown to be life-saving. A large volume of…

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Clinical documentation of patient-reported medical cannabis use in primary care: Toward scalable extraction using natural language processing methods

Background: Most states have legalized medical cannabis, yet little is known about how medical cannabis use is documented in patients' electronic health records (EHRs). We used natural language processing (NLP) to calculate the prevalence of clinician-documented medical cannabis use among…

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Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medication Adherence in the Transition to Adulthood: Associated Adverse Outcomes for Females and Other Disparities

The purpose of this study was to assess the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication adherence and adverse health outcomes in older adolescents transitioning to adulthood. In a cohort of 17-year-old adolescents with ADHD at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, we…

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Teens who stop taking ADHD medication at adulthood more prone to health, social problems

Teens diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often don’t take their medication regularly, and new Kaiser Permanente research finds the problem gets worse when they hit adulthood. The study also related non-adherence to ADHD medication with some negative health and social outcomes.
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Prevalence of Medical Cannabis Use and Associated Health Conditions Documented in Electronic Health Records Among Primary Care Patients in Washington State

Many people use cannabis for medical reasons despite limited evidence of therapeutic benefit and potential risks. Little is known about medical practitioners' documentation of medical cannabis use or clinical characteristics of patients with documented medical cannabis use. To estimate the…

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Changes in Diagnostic and Demographic Characteristics of Patients Seeking Mental Health Care During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic in a Large, Community-Based Health Care System

The early COVID-19 pandemic resulted in great psychosocial disruption and stress, raising speculation that psychiatric disorders may worsen. This study aimed to identify patients vulnerable to worsening mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. This retrospective observational study used electronic health…

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Core outcomes set for research on the treatment of opioid use disorder (COS-OUD): the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network protocol for an e-Delphi consensus study

A lack of consensus on the optimal outcome measures to assess the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) has hampered the pooling of research data for evidence synthesis and clinical guidelines. A core…

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Treatment for Anxiety and Substance Use Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Strategies

: The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to exacerbate existing anxiety and substance use disorders (SUDs) and increase vulnerability among individuals previously free of these conditions. Numerous pandemic-related stressors-coronavirus infection fears, social distancing and isolation, activity restrictions, financial insecurity and unemployment,…

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Health care utilization and HIV clinical outcomes among newly enrolled patients following Affordable Care Act implementation in a California integrated health system: a longitudinal study

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased insurance coverage for people with HIV (PWH) in the United States. To inform health policy, it is useful to investigate how enrollment through ACA Exchanges, deductible levels, and demographic factors are associated with…

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The application of digital health to the assessment and treatment of substance use disorders: The past, current, and future role of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network

The application of digital technologies to better assess, understand, and treat substance use disorders (SUDs) is a particularly promising and vibrant area of scientific research. The National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN), launched in 1999 by the U.S.…

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Enhanced Recovery After Surgery to Change Process Measures and Reduce Opioid Use After Cesarean Delivery: A Quality Improvement Initiative

To evaluate implementation of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program for patients undergoing elective cesarean delivery by comparing opioid exposure, multimodal analgesia use, and other process and outcome measures before and after implementation. An ERAS program was implemented among…

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Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures of alcohol and drug treatment initiation and engagement among people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and patients without an HIV diagnosis

Background: Problematic use of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) is highly prevalent among people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH), and untreated AOD use disorders have particularly detrimental effects on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outcomes. The Healthcare Effectiveness Data…

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Patient characteristics associated with treatment initiation and engagement among individuals diagnosed with alcohol and other drug use disorders in emergency department and primary care settings

Background: Treatment initiation and engagement rates for alcohol and other drug (AOD) use disorders differ depending on where the AOD use disorder was identified. Emergency department (ED) and primary care (PC) are 2 common settings where patients are identified; however,…

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The association between medical comorbidity and Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures of treatment initiation and engagement for alcohol and other drug use disorders

Background: Medical comorbidity may influence treatment initiation and engagement for alcohol and other drug (AOD) use disorders. We examined the association between medical comorbidity and Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) treatment initiation and engagement measures.Methods: We used electronic…

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The prevalence of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) initiation and engagement in treatment among patients with cannabis use disorders in 7 US health systems

Background: Cannabis use disorders (CUDs) have increased with more individuals using cannabis, yet few receive treatment. Health systems have adopted the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) quality measures of initiation and engagement in alcohol and other drug (AOD)…

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Psychiatric comorbidity and Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures of alcohol and other drug treatment initiation and engagement across 7 health care systems

Background: Psychiatric comorbidity is common among patients with alcohol and other drug (AOD) use disorders. To better understand how psychiatric comorbidity influences AOD treatment access in health care systems, the present study examined treatment initiation and engagement among a large,…

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Predictors of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) treatment initiation and engagement among patients with opioid use disorder across 7 health systems

Background: The prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) has increased rapidly in the United States and improving treatment access is critical. Among patients with OUD, we examined factors associated with the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) performance measures…

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Medical and non-medical marijuana use in depression: Longitudinal associations with suicidal ideation, everyday functioning, and psychiatry service utilization

Marijuana use is clinically problematic in depression, and non-medical and medical use may both contribute to barriers to care in this population. Among outpatients with depression, we examined the differential impact of medical or non-medical marijuana use, relative to no-use,…

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A Prospective, Observational Study Designed to Quantify the Serious Risks of Misuse, Abuse and Addiction Associated with Long-Term Use of Opioid Analgesics for Management of Chronic Pain Among Patients Prescribed ER/LA Opioid Analgesics

​The goal of this Food and Drug Administration-mandated study is to provide quantitative estimates of the serious risks of misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose, and death associated with long-term use of opioid analgesics for management of chronic pain, among patients prescribed…

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Patient and System Characteristics Associated with Performance on the HEDIS Measures of Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Initiation and Engagement

Understand patient and system characteristics associated with performance on the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Initiation and Engagement of Treatment (IET) measures. This mixed-methods study linked patient and health system data from four…

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Alcohol and Drug Use, Pain and Psychiatric Symptoms among Adults Seeking Outpatient Psychiatric Treatment: Latent Class Patterns and Relationship to Health Status

Substance use, psychiatric problems, and pain frequently co-occur, yet clinical profiles of treatment-seeking patients are poorly understood. To inform service and treatment planning, substance use and symptom patterns were examined in an outpatient psychiatry clinic, along with the relationship of…

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Assessing the accuracy of opioid overdose and poisoning codes in diagnostic information from electronic health records, claims data, and death records

The purpose of this study is to assess positive predictive value (PPV), relative to medical chart review, of International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9/10 diagnostic codes for identifying opioid overdoses and poisonings. Data were obtained from Kaiser Permanente Northwest and Northern…

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Affordable Care Act Implementation in a California Health Care System Leads to Growth in HIV-Positive Patient Enrollment and Changes in Patient Characteristics

This study examined implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in relation to HIV-positive patient enrollment in an integrated health care system; as well as changes in new enrollee characteristics, benefit structure, and health care utilization after key ACA provisions…

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Protocol: changes in rates of opioid overdose and poisoning events in an integrated health system following the introduction of a formulation of OxyContin® with abuse-deterrent properties

Addiction, overdoses and deaths resulting from prescription opioids have increased dramatically over the last decade. In response, several manufacturers have developed formulations of opioids with abuse-deterrent properties. For many of these products, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognized the…

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Physician versus non-physician delivery of alcohol screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment in adult primary care: the ADVISe cluster randomized controlled implementation trial

Unhealthy alcohol use is a major contributor to the global burden of disease and injury. The US Preventive Services Task Force has recommended alcohol screening and intervention in general medical settings since 2004. Yet less than one in six US…

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Twelve-step attendance trajectories over seven years among adolescents entering substance use treatment in an integrated health plan

AIMS: This study examines 12-Step attendance trajectories over 7 years, factors associated with the trajectories, and relationships between the trajectories and long-term substance use outcomes among adolescents entering out-patient substance use treatment in a private, non-profit integrated managed-care health plan.…

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Twelve-Step affiliation and 3-year substance use outcomes among adolescents: social support and religious service attendance as potential mediators

AIMS: Twelve-Step affiliation among adolescents is little understood. We examined 12-Step affiliation and its association with substance use outcomes 3 years post-treatment intake among adolescents seeking chemical dependency (CD) treatment in a private, managed-care health plan. We also examined the…

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