Study reveals chasm in referral of ED patients to follow‐up care

A study based on data from 10 geographically diverse communities across the country has found strikingly low rates of referral to substance use treatment following an opioid overdose‐related visit to a hospital emergency department (ED). Only 17.8% of a group of nearly 1,700 patients were referred to outpatient treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) post‐discharge.