For months, healthcare experts have observed that COVID-19 has been an accelerant for America’s opioid epidemic. A recent CDC report, however, quantified the sobering facts.
Drug Overdose Deaths Exceed Fatalities from Car Accidents and Gun Violence
Provisional data published by the National Center for Health Statistics suggests that the United States experienced 100,306 drug overdose deaths between March 2020 and April 2021. As the New York Times noted, that number is greater than the number of fatalities due to car crashes and guns combined. Of those deaths, 75% were attributed to opioids. In addition, between March 2020 and April 2021, opioid-related deaths increased approximately 35% compared to the same period one year prior.
Multiple factors have contributed to the worsening of the opioid crisis. Fentanyl continues to be a major problem, not only for individuals addicted to heroin, but also for people seeking prescription opioids. Fatalities due to counterfeit pills made with fentanyl are becoming ever more common. The impact of COVID-19 on the opioid epidemic, however, looms large.
Unfortunately, social isolation and high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression became the norm for many people during the pandemic. For people recovering from substance use disorder, these conditions increased the likelihood that they would relapse. Many in-person treatment programs ceased, out of fear of spreading COVID-19. In addition, some healthcare providers postponed substance use disorder treatment because they were simply overwhelmed by huge numbers of individuals who were infected with COVID-19 and needed care.
Addressing Today’s Opioid Crisis Requires Both Healthcare and Public Policy Interventions
Given the complexity of America’s opioid crisis, a variety of interventions will be needed to turn the tide. Here are four examples of programs that can make a difference:
- Revised state laws to expand access and use to naloxone. In November, the United States Office of National Drug Control Policy released a model law for states to expand access to naloxone, a drug that can reverse opioid overdoses. The model law offers states a roadmap for expanding availability of emergency opioid drugs like naloxone. It also requires health insurance coverage for opioid antagonists.
- Telehealth in combination with medically assisted treatment (MAT) for addiction. Effective MAT programs combine medications with counseling and behavioral therapies. Many believe that telehealth, which boomed in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, could be used successfully in MAT programs. While methadone is not an option for telehealth-based MAT programs, some organizations are looking into alternatives like buprenorphine which could be shipped directly to patients’ homes.
- Predictive risk analytics. Leading healthcare organizations are combining demographic data like gender and age with claims data – such as current medical diagnoses, duration of opioid or pain treatments, opioid dosages, and numbers of refills. This analysis forms the foundation of predictive risk analytics that identify individuals with rising risk of opioid addiction. Those patients or members can then be targeted for care management interventions.
- Better health outreach to link individuals with community resources. Health plans that use health engagement management platforms find that it’s easy to contact different member segments with important information, such as news about behavioral healthcare, resources to help with addiction, and more. Health outreach campaigns are also an effective way to identify barriers to care that are related to social determinants of health, such as housing, food insecurity, etc. Using these tools to identify people most impacted by the pandemic and linking them with community resources is more important now than ever.
The pandemic highlighted many disparities in healthcare and exacerbated conditions including substance use disorder. The numbers don’t lie – the opioid epidemic hasn’t gone away and in fact, it’s gotten worse. Now is the time for the healthcare sector in combination with federal, state, and local governments, to take action.
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