Patterns of Health Care Use 5 Years After an Intervention Linking Patients in Addiction Treatment With a Primary Care Practitioner

Source:

Iturralde E, Weisner CM, Adams SR, et al. Patterns of Health Care Use 5 Years After an Intervention Linking Patients in Addiction Treatment With a Primary Care Practitioner. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(11):e2241338. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.41338

Key Points

Question  Is an intervention to connect patients undergoing addiction treatment to primary care practitioners associated with long-term improved engagement with primary care?

Findings  This post hoc analysis of 5-year follow-up data from a nonrandomized controlled trial with 503 participants found that LINKAGE intervention participants, relative to usual care, were more likely to discuss substance use problems with primary care practitioners, use the electronic patient portal, and have relative annual increases in primary care use and relative annual decreases in substance use–related emergency department utilization.

Meaning  In this study, a patient activation intervention provided with addiction treatment was associated with improved long-term health care engagement patterns.