Does Addiction Treatment During Hospitalization Prevent Readmissions?

Medications for opioid and alcohol use disorders are highly effective in improving addiction-related outcomes, but data have conflicted on whether these medications might prevent hospital readmissions when prescribed at hospital discharge (NEJM JW Gen Med Jan 15 2025 and J Hosp Med 2024; 19:1122). To examine the association between receipt of these medications and 30-day hospital readmission, researchers identified 20,000 admissions that occurred between 2019 and 2023 with opioid or alcohol use disorder as a diagnosis at a single center in Boston. Interprofessional addiction consult teams were involved in about half of admissions and usually were involved in decisions to prescribe opioid or alcohol use disorder medications at discharge.

For …