Journal of general internal medicine
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Observational Study
Opioid Discontinuation Among Patients Receiving High-Dose Long-Term Opioid Therapy in the Veterans Health Administration.
Prior opioid discontinuation studies have focused on one of two characteristics of opioid prescribing, its duration (long term vs not) or dosage (high vs low). Questions remain about the experience of patients with high-dose, long-term opioid therapy (HLOT) prescriptions who are likely to be at the highest risk for adverse events. ⋯ Prevalence of patients receiving HLOT in the VHA decreased as the incidence of discontinuation increased. Further research is needed to understand the process by which patients are discontinued and to assess the relationship between discontinuation and health outcomes.
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This perspective describes federal efforts in the United States (U. S.) to integrate care for an especially complex, vulnerable, and costly patient population: adults eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid insurance. The goal of the paper is to demystify for clinical policy leaders and practicing clinicians the origins and evolution of the Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) recently permanently authorized by the U. S. Congress and to explore the potential for these policy changes to help such health plans improve care for the sickest and most vulnerable Americans.
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To improve mental health care access, the Veterans Health Administration (VA) implemented Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) in clinics nationally. Primary care clinical leader satisfaction can inform model implementation and may be facilitated by collaborative care managers and technology supporting cross-specialty collaboration. ⋯ Care from embedded mental health providers for depression and anxiety was highly satisfactory, which may guide improvement among less satisfactory conditions (alcohol misuse, pain). Observed associations between overall satisfaction and collaborative care features may inform clinics on how to optimize staffing and technology based on priority conditions.