Louisiana has engaged in multiple efforts to expand access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) to address the opioid crisis.
Among these efforts has been a requirement that residential treatment programs offer MOUD as a condition of licensure.
In the January issue of Health Affairs, Olivia Sugarman of Johns Hopkins University and her team of coauthors examine trends in MOUD use among Louisiana Medicaid enrollees diagnosed with OUD between 2018-21.
The researchers find during the study period, there was a nearly threefold increase in MOUD among patients treated in nonresidential treatment settings, and a fivefold increase for patients treated in residential settings.
They attribute most of this increase in MOUD use to greater use of buprenorphine.
Sugarman and coauthors also conclude that “MOUD use was highest among enrollees who were White, were older, had comorbidities, and lived in a metropolitan area,” and suggest that policies that promote greater access to MOUD in SUD facilities are critical to addressing the overdose crisis.
