HERC Health Economics Seminar

Healthcare Costs and Utilization Before and After Opioid Overdose in VHA Patients with Opioid Use Disorder

by Vilija Joyce, MS
Seminar date: 5/17/2023

Description: The opioid crisis is a national public health emergency in the United States with a reported 2.7 million Americans having opioid use disorder (OUD) in 2020. The risk for OUD and subsequent overdose deaths among veterans is higher compared with non-veterans; understanding the costs of treatment and other services that precede and follow an opioid-related overdose is important. Using a difference-in-differences framework, this presentation describes and compares healthcare cost and utilization trends among VHA patients with OUD who did and did not experience an opioid overdose from the perspective of VHA.

Intended Audience: Mental health and substance use disorder providers, health services researchers interested in difference-in-differences estimation, and policymakers involved with planning and resource allocation as related to costs and utilization surrounding opioid overdose.

View archived session video:

DOWNLOAD: PDF handout | Audio only (mp3) | transcript

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