State Variation in Opioid Treatment Policies and Opioid-Related Hospital Readmissions.

Background State policy approaches designed to provide opioid treatment options have received significant attention in addressing the opioid epidemic in the United States. In particular, expanded availability of naloxone to reverse overdose, Good Samaritan laws intended to protect individuals who attempt to provide or obtain emergency services for someone experiencing an opioid overdose, and expanded coverage of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for individuals with opioid abuse or dependence may help curtail hospital readmissions from opioids. The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the association between the presence of state opioid treatment policies—naloxone standing orders, Good Samaritan laws, and Medicaid medication-assisted treatment (MAT) coverage—and opioid-related hospital readmissions.