American hospitals showed a net loss of in-patient and out-patient opioid-related programs, even as overdose deaths continued to climb, stated new survey.
American hospitals collectively have seen a loss of programs dealing with opioid epidemic, found new paper written by faculty in Ohio University's Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and College of Health Sciences and Professions, and published in the journal Health Services Research. Its authors are Cory Cronin, Ph.D., CHSP assistant professor of social and public health; Berkeley Franz, Ph.D., Heritage College assistant professor of social medicine; Daniel Skinner, Ph.D., Heritage College assistant professor of health policy; and Zelalem Haile, Ph.D., M.P.H., Heritage College assistant professor of epidemiology.
Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription drug abuse is consuming prescription medications in a way different from that as prescribed by the doctor. It is becoming a colossal health problem which can lead to addiction and even death.
Advertisement
‘Hospital size may affect a hospital's perception of its ability to afford an opioid program, while the effect of county income levels could reflect that "hospitals are more likely to offer these services if they are more confident in their patients' ability to pay. ’
Tweet it Now
The study analyzed data for 3,365 acute-care hospitals across the country, from the 2010 and 2015 installments of the American Hospital Association Annual Survey. In the time between the two surveys, it found, these hospitals showed a net loss of in-patient and out-patient opioid-related programs, even as overdose deaths continued to climb.
While some hospitals added programs during this period, a greater number discontinued them. In 2010, a total of 334 hospitals surveyed offered in-patient services and 588 offered out-patient services, but by 2015 these numbers had dropped to 327 and 577, respectively.
![Quiz on Drug Abuse]( "Quiz on Drug Abuse")
Drug abuse often starts with experimentation of a drug and results in problems at home, workplace and in relationships. Take this quiz to test your knowledge on drug abuse.
"Hospitals are actually backing away from these services even while we have this discussion of an epidemic and the need for services for that," noted author Cronin. That could spell problems for patients with drug dependency, Franz added.
"We need to better understand how to support hospitals, especially in rural areas, to participate in the local opioid service infrastructure."
Why are hospitals shedding opioid programs? The paper reviews some of the more important factors that may influence a decision on whether to add, drop or continue such programs. Factors that make a hospital more likely to offer them include having more beds (larger size); being nonprofit or having a religious affiliation; being in a county with higher household income; and being in a county designated Appalachian. Hospitals are less likely to provide such substance-abuse services when their home county contains a psychiatric facility.
Nonprofit public ownership and/or religious affiliation, the study says, may make hospitals "more likely to consider themselves safety net providers," and thus more willing to address the opioid crisis. "It is also likely that they are simply better situated to carry out the kind of collaborative team-based work that this treatment requires," it adds.
That having a psychiatric facility in its county makes a hospital less likely to offer opioid services, the study argues, may indicate that "if other local entities exist, hospitals may not see offering substance abuse disorder services as their responsibility beyond stabilizing acutely ill patients in the emergency room." And the fact that Appalachian counties are less likely to have such psychiatric facilities may account for hospitals in those counties being more apt to offer drug programs.
The paper calls for more research on how delivery models and payment incentives might encourage more hospitals to proactively address the opioid crisis and partner with other community-based organizations. It notes that federal law already requires nonprofit hospitals to develop programming to address needs identified through Community Health Needs Assessments, but that associated regulations are vague and often lack oversight. Reforming this process to provide more guidance and enforcement could encourage more hospital opioid programming, it suggests.
Source: Eurekalert
Quiz on Drug Abuse
Drug abuse often starts with experimentation of a drug and results in problems at home, workplace and in relationships. Take this quiz to test your knowledge on drug abuse.
Advertisement
"Hospitals are actually backing away from these services even while we have this discussion of an epidemic and the need for services for that," noted author Cronin. That could spell problems for patients with drug dependency, Franz added.
"We need to better understand how to support hospitals, especially in rural areas, to participate in the local opioid service infrastructure."
Why are hospitals shedding opioid programs? The paper reviews some of the more important factors that may influence a decision on whether to add, drop or continue such programs. Factors that make a hospital more likely to offer them include having more beds (larger size); being nonprofit or having a religious affiliation; being in a county with higher household income; and being in a county designated Appalachian. Hospitals are less likely to provide such substance-abuse services when their home county contains a psychiatric facility.
Nonprofit public ownership and/or religious affiliation, the study says, may make hospitals "more likely to consider themselves safety net providers," and thus more willing to address the opioid crisis. "It is also likely that they are simply better situated to carry out the kind of collaborative team-based work that this treatment requires," it adds.
That having a psychiatric facility in its county makes a hospital less likely to offer opioid services, the study argues, may indicate that "if other local entities exist, hospitals may not see offering substance abuse disorder services as their responsibility beyond stabilizing acutely ill patients in the emergency room." And the fact that Appalachian counties are less likely to have such psychiatric facilities may account for hospitals in those counties being more apt to offer drug programs.
The paper calls for more research on how delivery models and payment incentives might encourage more hospitals to proactively address the opioid crisis and partner with other community-based organizations. It notes that federal law already requires nonprofit hospitals to develop programming to address needs identified through Community Health Needs Assessments, but that associated regulations are vague and often lack oversight. Reforming this process to provide more guidance and enforcement could encourage more hospital opioid programming, it suggests.
Source: Eurekalert
Drug Abuse Screening Test
Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) is a screening test to find out if you need professional help with 'Drug Abuse' problem. This is only an anonymous self test.
Advertisement
 Prescription of Opioids In Low Doses For Short Duration In ChildrenThe rate of prescribing of opioids in children by most of the doctors remains consistent according to CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA researchers. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Alcohol & Drug Abuse News
A new study analyses Whether treatment support can optimize nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking faster, using biomarker nicotine metabolite ratio.
The genetic risk scores developed was found to be helpful in preventing and treating alcohol addiction.
The percentage of caregivers prescribing buprenorphine increased faster after the Medicaid reforms implementation.
New study examined whether metabolic syndrome could be a reason for increased mortality from alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) despite declining alcohol use.
Addiction scientists try to decode cocaine use disorder.