Abstract Clinical decision support (CDS) systems powered by predictive models have the potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of clinical decision-making. However, without sufficient validation, these systems have the potential to mislead clinicians and harm patients. This is especially true for CDS systems used by opioid prescribers and dispensers, where a flawed prediction can directly harm patients. To prevent these harms, regulators and researchers have proposed guidance for validating predictive mod…

Abstract Aims To compare healthcare costs and use between United States (US) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) who experienced an opioid overdose (OD cohort) and patients with OUD who did not experience an opioid overdose (non‐OD cohort). Design This is a retrospective cohort study of administrative and clinical data. Setting The largest integrated national health‐care system is the US Veterans Health Administration's healthcare systems. Participants We included VHA patie…

In this cost-effectiveness analysis, expanded access to MAT, combined with OEND and CM, was associated with cost-saving reductions in morbidity and mortality from OUD. Lack of widespread MAT availability limits access to a cost-saving medical intervention that reduces morbidity and mortality from OUD. Opioid overdoses in the US likely reached a record high in 2020 because of COVID-19 increasing substance use, exacerbating stress and social isolation, and interfering with opioid treatment. It is essential to unders…

Summary Objective The objective was to compare differences in body mass index (BMI) calculated with self‐reported versus clinically measured pre‐conception data from women veterans in California. Methods Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and California state birth certificate data were used to develop a cohort of women who gave birth from 2007–2012 and had VHA data available to calculate BMI ( N = 1,326 mothers, 1,473 births). Weighted Kappa statistics assessed concordance between self‐reported and measured BMI…

Objective To describe variation in payer and outcomes in Veterans’ births. Data/Setting Secondary data analyses of deliveries in California, 2000–2012. Study Design We performed a retrospective, population‐based study of all live births to Veterans (confirmed via U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA ) enrollment records), to identify payer and variations in outcomes among: (1) Veterans using VA coverage and (2) Veteran vs. all other births. We calculated odds ratios ( aOR ) adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, e…