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Objectives: To estimate excess health care costs in the 12 months following COVID-19 diagnosis., Study Design: Retrospective cohort study using Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island claims incurred from January 1, 2019, to March 31, 2022, among commercial and Medicare Advantage members., Methods: Difference-in-differences analyses were used to compare changes in health care spend between the 12 months before (baseline period) and the 12 months after (post period) COVID-19 diagnosis for COVID-19 cases and contemporaneous matched controls without COVID-19., Results: Overall, there were 7224 commercial and 1630 Medicare Advantage members with a COVID-19 diagnosis on/before March 31, 2021, each with a matched control, yielding a sample of 14,448 commercial and 3260 Medicare Advantage members. Among commercial members, 51.9% were aged 25 to 54 years and 54.0% were female. Among Medicare Advantage members, 94.2% were 65 years or older and 62.0% were female. Among commercial members, from the baseline period to the post period, total health care spend increased $41.61 (7.7%) per member per month (PMPM) more among COVID-19 cases compared with their matched controls. Among Medicare Advantage members, the difference-in-differences was greater, with spend increasing $97.30 (13.1%) PMPM more among cases compared with controls. The difference-in-differences was greatest for outpatient and professional services (both populations) and prescription services (Medicare Advantage only)., Conclusions: COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with excess health care spend PMPM over the subsequent 12 months, highlighting the importance of societal preparations to support individuals' long-term health care needs following COVID-19 and as a part of future pandemic preparedness.

Importance: Buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) has more than doubled since 2009. However, current US Food and Drug Administration buprenorphine dosing guidelines are based on studies among people using heroin, prior to the emergence of fentanyl in the illicit drug supply., Objective: To estimate the association between buprenorphine dose and time to treatment discontinuation during a period of widespread fentanyl availability., Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study used statewide Rhode Island Prescription Drug Monitoring Program data. Participants were Rhode Island residents initiating buprenorphine treatment for OUD between October 1, 2016, and September 30, 2020. Data analysis was performed from December 9, 2022, to August 10, 2023., Exposure: Daily dose of buprenorphine (16 mg and 24 mg) defined starting on the day of initiation based on total quantity and days' supply dispensed. Patients were censored on any dose change., Main Outcomes and Measures: Buprenorphine treatment discontinuation in the 180 days following initiation, defined as a gap in treatment of more than 27 days based on prescription fill dates and days' supply. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression survival analyses were conducted to estimate the association between buprenorphine dose and time to treatment discontinuation, controlling for potential informative censoring and measured potential confounders., Results: Among 6499 patients initiating buprenorphine treatment for OUD, most were aged 25 to 44 years (57%; n = 3682), were male (61%; n = 3950), and had private (47%; n = 3025) or Medicaid (33%; n = 2153) insurance. More than half of patients were prescribed a daily dose of interest at initiation (16 mg: 50%; n = 3264; 24 mg: 10%; n = 668). In Kaplan-Meier analyses, 58% of patients discontinued buprenorphine treatment within 180 days (16 mg: 59% vs 24 mg: 53%; log-rank test P = .005). In Cox regression analyses, patients prescribed a dose of 16 mg had a greater risk of treatment discontinuation than those prescribed 24 mg (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.06-1.37)., Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of patients initiating buprenorphine treatment from 2016 to 2020, patients prescribed a 24 mg dose of buprenorphine remained in treatment longer than those prescribed 16 mg. The value of higher buprenorphine doses than currently recommended needs to be considered for improving retention in treatment.

Background and Aims: Partial opioid agonist medications for opioid use disorder reduce mortality and morbidity, however long-term retention in treatment is challenging. The objective of this study was to identify patient and prescription characteristics associated with long-term buprenorphine treatment retention., Methods: We used data from the Rhode Island prescription drug monitoring program to identify residents who initiated buprenorphine treatment and determine if they were retained in long-term buprenorphine treatment 12-months after treatment initiation. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify sociodemographic and prescription characteristics associated with long-term buprenorphine retention., Findings: During the study period 4898 unique Rhode Island residents initiated buprenorphine treatment, of whom 37.8 % were retained in treatment at 12-months. Demographic factors associated with a higher odds of long-term buprenorphine retention included older age, female sex, Medicaid insurance (vs private), and living closer to the pharmacy where the prescription was filled. Individuals who were prescribed the tablet formulation (aOR: 0.82 [95 % CI 0.72, 0.93]) or received a non-buprenorphine opioid during the follow-up window (aOR: 0.37 [95 % CI 0.31, 0.44]) had lower odds of long-term treatment at 12-months. Individuals who received at least one day of overlapping benzodiazepine and buprenorphine prescriptions (aOR: 2.00 [95 % CI 1.70, 2.34]) and those given a longer days supply (aOR: 1.26 [95 % CI 1.01, 1.56]) had higher odds of long-term treatment at 12-months. Findings were similar for treatment retention at 6-months in sensitivity analyses., Conclusions: These findings highlight several modifiable prescribing practices associated with long-term buprenorphine retention, suggesting that clinicians and public health practitioners can help remove barriers to long-term retention., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Overdose deaths have increased dramatically in the United States, including in Rhode Island. In July 2021, the Rhode Island government passed legislation supporting a two-year pilot program authorizing supervised consumption sites (SCSs) in response to this crisis. We estimated the costs and benefits of a hypothetical SCS in Providence, Rhode Island., Methods: We utilized a decision analytic mathematical model to compare costs and outcomes for people who inject drugs under two scenarios: (1) a SCS that includes syringe services provision, and (2) a syringe service program only (i.e., status quo). We assumed 0.95% of injections result in overdose, the SCS would serve 400 clients monthly and have a net cost of $783,899 annually, 46% of overdoses occurring outside of the SCS result in an ambulance run and 43% result in an emergency department (ED) visit, 0.79% of overdoses occurring within the SCS result in an ambulance run and ED visit, and the SCS would lead to a 25.7% reduction in fatal overdoses near the site. The model was developed from a modified societal perspective with a one-year time horizon., Results: A hypothetical SCS in Providence would prevent approximately 2 overdose deaths, 261 ambulance runs, 244 ED visits, and 117 inpatient hospitalizations for emergency overdose care annually compared to a scenario that includes a syringe service program only. The SCS would save $1,104,454 annually compared to the syringe service program only, accounting only for facility costs and short-term costs of emergency overdose care and ignoring savings associated with averted deaths. Influential parameters included the percentage of injections resulting in overdose, the total annual injections at the SCS, and the percentage of overdoses outside of the SCS that result in an ED visit., Conclusion: A SCS in would result in substantial cost savings due to prevention of costly emergency overdose care., Competing Interests: Declarations of Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Potential conflicts of interest: LCC conducts research unrelated to this work funded by the Hassenfeld Family Foundation. All other authors declare that they have no potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

More than 2 million people are incarcerated in the United States with many millions more processed through correctional facilities annually. Communities impacted by incarceration are also disproportionately impacted by the HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) epidemics. However, relatively little is known about the behaviors that place individuals with a history of incarceration at risk for HIV/STI acquisition. We utilized clinical data from patients presenting to an STI clinic located in Providence, Rhode Island. A latent class analysis was conducted on reported HIV acquisition risk behavior and STI testing results on a total of 1129 encounters where a history of incarceration was reported. A total of three classes were identified. Class 1 ( N  = 187, 11%), more frequently reported 10+ sexual partners (45%), an STI diagnosis (48%) and sex while intoxicated (86%) in the past year as well as identifying as a man who has sex with other men (60%). Class 2 ( N  = 57, 5%) was more likely to report giving (53%) and receiving (44%) money/drugs for sex in the past year as well as a history of injecting drugs (61%) and using methamphetamine (60%). Class 3 ( N  = 885, 78%) most frequently reported 0-2 sexual partners (48%), identified as Black (27%), Hispanic/Latino (69%) and a man who only has sex with women (80%). Class 1 had significantly higher odds ratio (1.8, 95% confidence interval = 1.3-2.5) of testing HIV/STI positive. The results provide important insights into risk subgroups for those with a history of incarceration at risk of HIV/STI acquisition.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of concurrent prescription opioid and non-opioid controlled substance use in Rhode Island (RI)., Methods: We conducted a cross sectional observational study using data from the RI Prescription Drug Monitoring Program on controlled substance prescriptions dispensed in 2018. We estimated the prevalence of concurrent use of other prescribed controlled substances among adults who received at least one opioid prescription., Results: In 2018, 142,692 RI adult residents received at least one opioid prescription, of whom 25.1% (99% confidence interval [CI]: 24.8-25.4) were concurrently prescribed at least one other controlled substance, including benzodiazepines (17.0%, 99% CI: 16.8-17.3), medications for insomnia (4.0%, 99% CI: 3.9-4.2), and stimulants (3.8%, 99% CI: 3.6-3.9)., Conclusion: The concurrent use of prescription opioids and other prescribed controlled substances is common. Our findings suggest an urgent need to implement focused initiatives to address controlled substance polypharmacy to reduce the risk of overdose.