Post-overdose care for Medicare beneficiaries has serious gaps, a federal study found. After an overdose they survived, few patients got medicine for opioid use disorder (MOUD) or naloxone. Both are proven to prevent the next overdose and death. Closing that gap saves lives.
Summary: A federal study shows big gaps in care for Medicare beneficiaries after an overdose. It points to the need for fast help like MOUD and naloxone to prevent more overdoses and deaths. These treatments are proven to work, yet they are underused. That leaves many people at risk. Fixing these gaps is key to saving lives in the ongoing opioid crisis.
The opioid crisis keeps tearing through communities across the United States. Overdose deaths have hit record levels. Despite ongoing efforts to slow it, a recent federal study points to a key concern. It is the care Medicare beneficiaries get after an overdose they survive.
Leading health agencies ran the study. It shows why fast, effective care matters. It also shows big gaps in care that leave many people open to more overdoses and death.
What happens after a nonfatal overdose?
The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, followed 137,000 Medicare beneficiaries who survived an overdose in 2020. The picture it paints is grim. Nearly 24,000 (17.4%) overdosed again within the next year and survived. About 1,300 (1%) died from an overdose in that same year.
These numbers show a harsh truth. One overdose sharply raises the risk of more overdoses and death.
People who have had one overdose are more likely to have another. So lifesaving care must be given right after an overdose to prevent more harm.
Which treatments lower the risk of dying after an overdose?
The study makes it clear that some treatments can sharply cut the risk of death after a first overdose. In the group studied, people who got medicines for opioid addiction treatment or behavioral health support were much less likely to die from a later overdose.
People treated with methadone had 58% lower odds of dying from an overdose. People who got buprenorphine had a 52% lower risk.
Behavioral health services and crisis care were linked to a 75% drop in overdose deaths. That shows again how vital these services are in saving lives.
The study also found that filling a prescription for naloxone cut the risk of overdose death by 30%. Naloxone reverses opioid overdoses. Often called Narcan, it is a vital tool in the fight against the opioid crisis. It can undo the effects of an overdose and give a person a second chance at life.
How many people get treatment after an overdose?
These treatments are proven to work, yet the study shows troubling gaps in care. Only 4.1% of the Medicare beneficiaries in the study got MOUD after their overdose. Just 6.2% filled a prescription for naloxone.
These numbers show a serious gap between lifesaving treatments being available and being used after an overdose.
The study found that beneficiaries waited a median of 72 days after their first overdose to get MOUD. That is far too long in an urgent health crisis.
What should care after an overdose include?
The results add to growing evidence that MOUD and overdose-reversal medicines must be used sooner and more widely after an overdose. Over 100,000 people die each year from overdoses. The chance to step in right after an overdose someone survives is critical.
This federal study makes it clear that good treatments exist but are not used to their full potential. Closing the gaps in post-overdose care takes a joint effort. Every Medicare beneficiary—and every person—who survives an overdose needs fast access to the care they need.
That means making MOUD easier to get and giving it on time. It means wider access to naloxone. And it means behavioral health services ready to support people on their path to recovery.
New options like telehealth addiction treatment can also play a key role. They reach people who may not have easy access to regular health care. If we put these treatments first and close the gaps in care, we can save lives and give hope to people hit by the opioid crisis.
Frequently asked questions
What happens when you survive an overdose?
Surviving one overdose raises the risk of the next one. A federal study followed 137,000 Medicare beneficiaries who survived an overdose in 2020. Nearly 24,000 (17.4%) overdosed again within a year. About 1,300 (1%) died from an overdose in that same year. That is why treatment has to start right after the first overdose, not months later.
What is a nonfatal overdose?
A nonfatal overdose is an overdose the person survives. It is not a close call that ends when the person wakes up. The same study showed that people who survive one overdose are more likely to have another. So a nonfatal overdose is the moment to start medicine for opioid use disorder, fill a naloxone prescription and connect with behavioral health care.
Why should someone who survived an overdose have Narcan?
Naloxone, often called Narcan, reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and gives the person a second chance at life. In the study, filling a naloxone prescription after an overdose someone survived cut the risk of dying from a later overdose by 30%. Yet only 6.2% of the Medicare beneficiaries in the study filled a prescription for it.
How long do people wait for addiction medication after an overdose?
Far too long. Only 4.1% of the Medicare beneficiaries in the study got medicine for opioid use disorder after their overdose. Those who did waited a median of 72 days. That delay matters. Methadone was tied to 58% lower odds of dying from an overdose, and buprenorphine to a 52% lower risk.
Source:
Jones, C. M., Shoff, C., Blanco, C., Losby, J. L., Ling, S. M., & Compton, W. M. (2024). Overdose, Behavioral Health Services, and Medications for Opioid Use Disorder After a Nonfatal Overdose. JAMA Internal Medicine, 184(8), 954–962. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.1733
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Telehealth for Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose Risk · Buprenorphine Treatment Gaps Raise Overdose Risk