30% of First-Time Opioid Prescribed Patients Developed Dependency

What You Should Know:

– Gainwell Technologies, a leading innovator in healthcare technology solutions, has partnered with top academic institutions to drive research addressing some of the nation’s biggest healthcare challenges. 

– Using Gainwell’s advanced research platform and de-identified Medicaid claims data from select clients, Stanford concluded that 30 percent of patients prescribed opioids for the first time developed a dependency. This is a critical finding in the search for the root causes of the opioid epidemic. 

Technological Solutions to Modern Healthcare Problems

Gainwell Technologies, a leading innovator in healthcare technology solutions, has partnered with top academic institutions to drive research addressing some of the nation’s biggest healthcare challenges. Gainwell’s advanced research platform and access to de-identified Medicaid claims, provided by its clients, give the company a one-of-a-kind data asset. Together with their clients, Gainwell aspires to use the research results to improve care and drive better health outcomes.

A new Stanford University study published in the PLOS Digital Health journal showed a patient’s first experience with an opioid prescription is a major factor driving opioid addiction. The Stanford research produced a striking finding. Of the patients who had never taken an opioid, 29.9 percent developed an opioid dependency following their first prescription. The study’s data concluded that the larger the quantity and longer the duration of patients’ prescriptions, the more prone they were to develop an opioid dependency.  

Gainwell enabled this study by providing Stanford with a unique research database. Stanford used 180,000 de-identified Medicaid claims from six states. Gainwell’s state Medicaid clients approved utilizing this data, knowing it would be applied to help solve a devastating healthcare crisis and save lives. Gainwell will also incorporate Stanford’s research findings into new, innovative healthcare solutions. 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during the 12-month period ending in April 2021, more than 100,000 people died from drug overdoses, making it a leading cause of injury-related death in the U.S. Of those deaths, nearly 76 percent involved opioids. 

“We are excited Gainwell’s advanced database is enabling critical research to solve real-world problems,” said Gainwell Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gary Call. “We are grateful to our clients who agreed to provide their de-identified data to enable this important research. Gainwell is working closely with our research partners to ensure their findings are put to practical use in our analytics and care management products. The opioid epidemic is one of the most critical issues of our time. The key to eradicating addiction is determining the factors that cause it. Stanford’s research will save lives as Gainwell and our clients incorporate it into caring for Medicaid beneficiaries.”

Gainwell facilitated the research data environment for Stanford under the umbrella of Australia’s Digital Health CRC (Cooperative Research Centre) to sponsor this research. The consortium, comprised of government, academic and industry partners, was established to harness digital technology to address many of the world’s most challenging healthcare issues. 

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