Diversity Supplement - Rapid Actionable Data for Opioid Response in Kentucky (RADOR-KY)

University Of Kentucky, Lexington KY

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a major public health concern, with opioids being involved in approximately 75% of the 107,622 overdose deaths reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 2021. Overdose rates have risen in recent years and substantial resources are invested in combatting OUD at the national and local levels. Coordination of efforts to combat OUD may be the key to reducing overdose deaths. To this end, the RADOR-KY project will build a robust state-wide surveillance system, integrating diverse data sources to monitor and predict drug overdose mortality and morbidity. This system will be used by stakeholders to inform data- driven action, supporting the coordination and targeting of prevention and treatment efforts. As proposed in the parent grant for this supplement, the RADOR-KY system will integrate several data sources related to OUD prevention and treatment efforts. However, there are gaps in the data that is available to RADOR-KY. Kentucky does not have an all-payer claims database and so data about residential OUD treatment and treatment support systems can only be obtained from Medicaid beneficiaries. In this proposal we will supplement the RADOR-KY efforts, using an informatics approach to capture data about treatment and recovery support services funded by the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort (KORE), a state-administered and federally funded program aimed at reducing overdose death and expanding access to treatment and support services. KORE funds treatment support services (e.g., peer support, recovery community centers) and, for uninsured and underinsured people, medication and residential treatment. KORE data is currently collected for reporting to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, but the existing approach is unstandardized, leading to inefficiencies, delays, and quality issues that make KORE data unsuitable for use in RADOR-KY. The specific aims of this project are to build a new platform for KORE agencies to submit standardized data – improving data ingestion through automated validation – and then to create near-real time visualizations and analyses that will allow KORE agencies and other stakeholders to refine and target their efforts to combat OUD. This data will be integrated into RADOR-KY, supporting the aims of the parent grant by improving the surveillance database and predictive models. We will share the code and methods developed for this project publicly, allowing other agencies within and beyond Kentucky to improve their analytic and planning capabilities. This will be especially helpful for administering State Opioid Response efforts in other states.