• Timothy Kelly, Jason A Hoppe, Matthew Zuckerman, Angela Khoshnoud, Benjamin Sholl, and Kennon Heard.
• University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA. Electronic address: timothy.kelly@cuanschutz.edu.
• Am J Emerg Med. 2020 Jun 1; 38 (6): 1286-1290.

Study ObjectiveMedications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is considered gold standard treatment for persons with an opioid use disorder and can be successfully initiated in emergency departments (EDBUP). Perceived provider barriers to EDBUP adoption include increased provider work, lack of provider knowledge about outpatient MOUD resources, and a lack of viable MOUD treatment options within health systems. We evaluated the feasibility of a novel EDBUP institutional design that utilizes the social work team to drive ED care for patients with OUD and coordinate MOUD referral to existing community resources.MethodsThis is a retrospective, cohort, single-center study describing patient outcomes in a social work driven EDBUP program with referral to community MOUD providers. ED patients with OUD were identified via patient request, standardized nurse screening, or ED provider concern. All identified patients received an urgent social work consult to explore willingness to seek treatment for OUD. Social workers developed individualized follow up plans with participating patients. Clinical data was abstracted from the Electronic Health Record. Social workers tracked continuity with outpatient MOUD services in a clinical care database.ResultsFrom June 1, 2018 through August 31, 2019, 120 patients opted for ED buprenorphine induction. 61% presented to initial outpatient intake appointment and 39% remained engaged in treatment after 30 days.ConclusionsEDs can effectively utilize the expertise of social workers to drive EDBUP and coordinate outpatient MOUD referrals. Our interdisciplinary EDBUP program structure is feasible and has the potential to yield meaningful reductions in physician workload and ED cost.Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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