Medications for Opioid Use Disorder After Entering Residential Treatment: Evidence From Louisiana Medicaid

Policies have attempted to increase the use of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) during an admission to a residential treatment program, but little is known about the association of residential admission with subsequent MOUD use.

In a cohort study of Louisiana Medicaid beneficiaries age 18-64 with diagnosed opioid use disorder (OUD), weekly MOUD use and overdose for 20 weeks before and after an admission to residential treatment was analyzed using comparative interrupted time series regression. Participants with residential treatment admission between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2020 (N = 12,222) were compared against a demographically similar group of people with OUD without residential treatment during the study period.

The samples with residential treatment were largely male (61.9%), White (47.2%), and aged 30 to 39 years (41.4%). At baseline, people admitted to residential treatment were much less likely to use MOUD than the comparison group (4.2% lower, CI: 3.8%, 4.5%, P < 0.01). After admission, use of any MOUD initially increased by 3.1% ( P < 0.01) relative to the comparison group, which reverted to the counterfactual trend by 20 weeks. Post-admission MOUD use differed widely by medication. Overdose incidence was highest in the weeks right before admission, but otherwise, it did not change during the study period.

Admission to residential treatment for OUD was associated with a temporary increase in MOUD use. Policy initiatives should focus on both boosting use of MOUD during residential treatment and sustaining access to MOUD in outpatient care in the weeks following discharge.