TP3 CHARACTERIZING AND COMPARING US COMMERCIALLY-INSURED PATIENTS WITH OPIOID USE DISORDER (OUD) BY RECEIPT OF MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT (MAT)

Abstract

Less than half of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) are treated with medication-assisted treatments (MATs): Buprenorphine, Naltrexone, Methadone. Barriers to MAT are not well understood. This study characterizes and compares OUD patients based on receipt of MAT. In IBM MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters Database, patients were selected with initial OUD diagnosis between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2017, ages 12-64, and enrolled for 12 months prior to, and 6 months following, diagnosis. Demographic and clinical characteristics were described and compared between MAT-treated versus MAT-naïve patients. This study included 96,380 OUD patients (mean age: 38.29, 55% male; 31% child/other of insured employee; 42% South region). Overall, 39% received MAT, with 30%, 8%, and 1% receiving Buprenorphine, Naltrexone and Methadone, respectively. Compared to MAT-naïve patients, MAT-treated patients were, on average, 7.3 years younger (95% CI 7.1, 7.4), and a majority were male (63%). MAT-treated patients had higher rates of ADHD (10% difference; 95% CI 9.6, 10.4) and lower rates of chronic pain (21% difference; 95% CI 20.4, 21.6). Most OUD patients were urban residents (>85% in both groups), with a higher proportion of MAT-naïve patients in the South (7% difference; 95% CI 6.4, 7.6). A higher proportion of MAT-treated patients had mental health/substance abuse coverage (33% difference; 95% CI 32.5, 33.5). Within six months following OUD diagnosis, MAT-treated patients had higher rates of psychotherapy (11% difference; 95% CI 10.4, 11.6) and lower rates of emergency department visits (9% difference; 95% CI 8.4, 9.6). This study provides real-world evidence highlighting demographic and clinical differences in OUD patients by MAT receipt. Receipt of MAT may be associated with higher engagement in OUD- and mental-health-related services and decreased healthcare utilization. Further research focusing on barriers to receipt of MAT and other OUD-related services is warranted.