Summary: A federal study reveals critical gaps in post-overdose care for Medicare beneficiaries, highlighting the need for timely interventions like MOUD and naloxone to prevent future overdoses and deaths. Despite their proven effectiveness, these treatments are underutilized, leaving many at risk. Addressing these gaps is essential to saving lives amid the ongoing opioid crisis.
The opioid crisis continues to devastate communities across the United States, with overdose deaths reaching unprecedented levels. Despite ongoing efforts to curb this epidemic, a recent federal study highlights a critical area of concern: the care received by Medicare beneficiaries following a nonfatal overdose.
The study, conducted by leading health agencies, underscores the importance of timely and effective interventions while also revealing significant gaps in care that leave many individuals vulnerable to subsequent overdoses and death.
What happens after a nonfatal overdose?
The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, examined a cohort of 137,000 Medicare beneficiaries who experienced a nonfatal overdose in 2020 and paints a sobering picture. Among these individuals, nearly 24,000 (17.4%) suffered another nonfatal overdose within the following year, and approximately 1,300 (1%) died from an overdose during that same period.
These statistics underscore a harsh reality: experiencing one overdose significantly increases the risk of future overdoses and death.
It means that people who have experienced one overdose are more likely to experience another. This insight highlights the urgent need for effective, lifesaving interventions to be administered immediately following an overdose to prevent further harm.
Which treatments lower the risk of dying after an overdose?
The study’s findings make it clear that certain interventions can drastically reduce the risk of death following an initial overdose. Among the cohort, those who received medications for opioid addiction treatment or behavioral health support were significantly less likely to die from a subsequent overdose.
Specifically, individuals treated with methadone had 58% lower odds of dying from an overdose, while those who received buprenorphine saw a 52% reduction in their risk.
Behavioral health services and crisis interventions were associated with a 75% reduction in overdose mortality, further demonstrating the critical role these services play in saving lives.
In addition, the study found that filling a prescription for naloxone, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, reduced the risk of overdose death by 30%. Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, is a vital tool in the fight against the opioid crisis, capable of reversing the effects of an overdose and providing individuals with a second chance at life.
How many people get treatment after an overdose?
Despite the proven effectiveness of these interventions, the study reveals troubling gaps in care. Alarmingly, only 4.1% of the Medicare beneficiaries in the study received MOUD after their nonfatal overdose, and just 6.2% filled a prescription for naloxone.
These figures highlight a critical disconnect between the availability of lifesaving treatments and their actual use in post-overdose care.
The study found that the median wait time for beneficiaries to receive MOUD was 72 days after their initial overdose—far too long in the context of an urgent health crisis.
What should care after an overdose include?
The study’s results contribute to a growing body of evidence that highlights the need for more timely and widespread use of MOUD and overdose reversal medications in post-overdose care. At a time when over 100,000 people die each year from overdoses, the opportunity to intervene immediately following a nonfatal overdose is critical.
The findings of this federal study make it clear that while effective treatments and interventions exist, they are not being used to their full potential. Bridging the gaps in post-overdose care requires a concerted effort to ensure that all Medicare beneficiaries—and indeed, all individuals—who experience a nonfatal overdose have immediate access to the care they need.
This includes increasing the availability and timely administration of MOUD, expanding access to naloxone, and ensuring that behavioral health services are readily available to support individuals in their recovery journey.
Innovative solutions like telehealth addiction treatment can also play a crucial role in reaching those who may not have easy access to traditional healthcare services. By prioritizing these interventions and addressing the gaps in care, we can save lives and offer hope to those affected by the opioid crisis.
Frequently asked questions
What happens when you survive an overdose?
Surviving one overdose raises the risk of the next one. In a federal study of 137,000 Medicare beneficiaries who survived an overdose in 2020, nearly 24,000 (17.4%) overdosed again within a year, and 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 medication for opioid use disorder, fill a naloxone prescription and connect with behavioral health care.
Why should someone who survived an overdose have Narcan?
Naloxone, commonly known as 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 a nonfatal overdose lowered 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 received medication for opioid use disorder after their overdose, and those who did waited a median of 72 days. That delay matters because 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