Opioid mortality rates continue to increase throughout the United States 1 ; however, growth in buprenorphine hydrochloride treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) might be limited to communities with higher income and low percentages of racial/ethnic minorities. 2 Buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist, is 1 of 3 evidence-based medications for treating OUD and can legally be prescribed in office-based settings. To our knowledge, no national studies have examined the differences in the receipt of buprenorphine prescription by race/ethnicity and payment in office-based settings, in which most patients with buprenorphine prescription receive care. 3 In this article, we present changes in buprenorphine treatment at office-based visits in the United States since 2004 as well as the race/ethnicity and payment characteristics currently associated with its receipt.

BackgroundInsomnia is of major public health importance. While cognitive behavioral therapy is beneficial, in-person treatment is often unavailable. We assessed the effectiveness of internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.ObjectivesThe primary objectives were to determine whether online cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia could improve sleep efficiency and reduce the severity of insomnia in adults. Secondary outcomes included sleep quality, total sleep time, time in bed, sleep onset latency, wake time after sleep onset, and number of nocturnal awakenings.Data SourcesWe searched PubMed/MEDLINE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, Embase, and the Web of Science for randomized trials.MethodsStudies were eligible if they were randomized controlled trials in adults that reported application of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia via internet delivery. Mean differences in improvement in sleep measures were calculated using the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman method for random effects meta-analysis.ResultsWe found 15 trials, all utilizing a pretest-posttest randomized control group design. Sleep efficiency was 72% at baseline and improved by 7.2% (95% CI: 5.1%, 9.3%; p<0.001) with internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy versus control. Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy resulted in a decrease in the insomnia severity index by 4.3 points (95% CI: -7.1, -1.5; p = 0.017) compared to control. Total sleep time averaged 5.7 hours at baseline and increased by 20 minutes with internet-delivered therapy versus control (95% CI: 9, 31; p = 0.004). The severity of depression decreased by 2.3 points (95% CI: -2.9, -1.7; p = 0.013) in individuals who received internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy compared to control. Improvements in sleep efficiency, the insomnia severity index and depression scores with internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy were maintained from 4 to 48 weeks after post-treatment assessment. There were no statistically significant differences between sleep efficiency, total sleep time, and insomnia severity index for internet-delivered versus in-person therapy with a trained therapist.ConclusionIn conclusion, internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy is effective in improving sleep in adults with insomnia. Efforts should be made to educate the public and expand access to this therapy. Registration Number, Prospero: CRD42015017622

This article is part of a supplement entitled The Behavioral Health Workforce: Planning, Practice, and Preparation, which is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Background-Opioid dependence, misuse, and abuse in the United States continue to rise. Prior studies indicate an important risk factor for persistent opioid use includes elective surgical procedures, though the probability following thoracic procedures remains unknown. We analyzed the incidence and factors associated with new persistent opioid use after lung resection Methods-We evaluated data from opioid-naïve cancer patients undergoing lung resection between 2010 and 2014 using insurance claims from the Truven Health MarketScan Databases. New persistent opioid usage was defined as continued opioid prescription fills between 90 and 180 days following surgery. Variables with p<0.10 by univariate analysis were included in a multivariable logistic regression performed for risk adjustment. Multivariable results were each reported with odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI) Results-3,026 patients (44.8% male; 55.2% female) were identified as opioid-naïve undergoing lung resection. Mean age was 64 ± 11 years and mean postoperative length of stay (LOS) was 5.2±3.3 days. 6.5% underwent neoadjuvant therapy, while 21.7% underwent adjuvant therapy. Among opioid-naïve patients, 14% continued to fill opioid prescriptions following lung resection. Multivariable analysis showed that age ≤ 64 (OR 1.28 [CI 1.03-1.59], p=0.028), male sex (1.40 [1.13-1.73], p=0.002), postoperative LOS (1.32 [1.05-1.65], p=0.016), thoracotomy (1.58 [1.24-2.02], p<0.001), and adjuvant therapy (2.19 [1.75-2.75], p<0.001) were independent risk factors for persistent opioid usage Conclusions-The greatest risk factors for persistent opioid use (14%) following lung resection were adjuvant therapy and thoracotomy. Future studies should focus on reducing excess prescribing, perioperative patient education, and safe opioid disposal.

IMPORTANCE Opioid-prescribing policies and guidelines aimed at reducing inappropriate opioid prescribing may lead physicians to stop prescribing opioids. Patients may thus encounter difficulties finding primary care practitioners willing to care for them if they take opioids. OBJECTIVES To assess practitioner willingness to accept and continue prescribing opioids to new patients with pain and whether this willingness differs across payer types. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This survey study used a simulated patient call audit method. A brief telephone survey was administered to all clinics followed by a call using a patient script simulating an adult patient with chronic pain who was taking long-term opioids. The patient had Medicaid or private insurance. Calls were made between June 22 and October 30, 2018, to 667 primary care clinics that served a general adult population in Michigan. Clinics that accepted both Medicaid and private insurance, took new patient appointments, and were successfully recontacted for the simulated call were eligible for the study. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Prevalence of clinics' acceptance of new patients receiving prescription opioids overall and by clinic characteristics and insurance type. RESULTS Of the 194 eligible clinics, 94 (48.4%) were randomized according to insurance type to receive calls from research assistants posing as children of patients with Medicaid and 100 (51.5%) to receive calls from those with private insurance. Overall, 79 (40.7%) stated that their practitioners would not prescribe opioids to the simulated patient. Thirty-three clinics (17.0%) requested more information before making a decision. Compared with single-practitioner clinics, clinics with more than 3 practitioners were more likely (odds ratio [OR], 2.99; 95% CI, 1.48-6.04) to accept new patients currently taking opioids. No difference was found in access based on insurance status (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.52-1.64) or whether the clinic offered medications for opioid use disorders (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.45-2.69). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The findings suggest that access to primary care may be reduced for patients taking prescription opioids, which could lead to unintended consequences, such as conversion to illicit substances or reduced management of other medical comorbidities.

Background. New persistent opioid use occurs in 3% to 14% of patients after elective surgery, but is poorly described after cardiothoracic surgery. We examined the association of prescription size with new persistent opioid use after cardiothoracic surgery. Methods. Opioid-naive Medicare patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery between 2009 and 2015 were identified. Patients who filled an opioid prescription between 30 days before surgery and 14 days after discharge and with continuous Medicare enrollment 12 months before and 6 months after surgery were selected (n [ 24,549). New persistent use was defined as continued prescription fills 91 to 180 days after surgery. Prescription size was reported in oral morphine equivalents. Multivariable regression was performed for risk adjustment, and new persistent use rate was estimated. Results. Patient age was 71 ± 8 years, 9222 (38%) were female, and 20,898 (85%) were white. Overall new persistent use was 12.8% (3153 of 24,549), and declined yearly from 17% in 2009 to 7.1% in 2015 (P < .001). Prescription size, preoperative prescription fills, black race, gastrointestinal complications, disability status, open lung resection, dual eligibility (Medicare and Medicaid), drug and substance abuse, female sex, tobacco use, high comorbidity, pain disorders, longer hospital stay, and younger age were associated with new persistent use. Adjusted new persistent use was 19.6% (95% confidence interval, 18.7% to 20.4%) among patients prescribed more than 450 oral morphine equivalents, compared with 10.4% (95% confidence interval, 9.9% to 10.8%) among those prescribed 200 oral morphine equivalents or less (P < .001). Conclusions. Size and timing of perioperative opioid prescriptions were the strongest predictors of new persistent opioid use after cardiothoracic surgery. Modifiable risk factors such as prescription size should be targeted to reduce new persistent use.

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