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Insurance network coverage dramatically impacts whether a person remains in treatment for opioid use disorder, according to results shared by treatment provider Ophelia. A new study finds that nearly three-quarters (72.3%) of patients receiving opioid treatment through network insurance stayed in treatment for at least six months. Patients received telehealth treatment from Ophelia. (Tong, 3/5)

The opioid overdose epidemic has burned through the U.S. for nearly 30 years. Yet for all that time, the country has had tools that are highly effective at preventing overdose deaths: methadone and buprenorphine. (Facher, 3/5)

In 2003, the year Nora Volkow was appointed director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, roughly 4,000 Americans died of opioid overdose. In the two decades since, the overdose crisis has morphed into a full-fledged public health emergency, with 80,000 Americans dying from opioid overdoses each year. But in that stretch, relatively little has changed about the way the U.S. treats opioid addiction. (Facher, 3/5)

Over 2 million Americans have opioid use disorder, according to some estimates. Illicit opioids such as heroin and fentanyl were responsible for over 80,000 U.S. overdose deaths in 2023. Despite the known risks, these drugs are notoriously hard to stop using — due in large part to how debilitating withdrawal can be. (Hogan, 3/5)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Statistical Models Vs. Front-Line Workers: Who Knows Best How To Spend Opioid Settlement Cash?

In this Gulf Coast city, addiction medicine doctor Stephen Loyd announced at a January event what he called “a game-changer” for state and local governments spending billions of dollars in opioid settlement funds. The money, which comes from companies accused of aggressively marketing and distributing prescription painkillers, is meant to tackle the addiction crisis. But “how do you know that the money you’re spending is going to get you the result that you need?” asked Loyd, who was once hooked on prescription opioids himself. (Pattani, 3/5)