Improving Quality and Equity of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Using a Multi-state Medicaid Research Network

Statement of Work Title: Medicaid Outcomes Distributed Research Network - Equity and Quality Improvement for Medicaid Programs (MODRN-EQUIP). The Medicaid Outcomes Distributed Research Network (MODRN) is leading efforts to improve quality in opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment in Medicaid. In partnership with state Medicaid agencies, MODRN has developed novel measures of OUD treatment quality and examined effects of treatment quality on overdose outcomes. Medicaid disproportionately covers minoritized populations and those with social and economic risk factors. Improving OUD treatment quality in Medicaid thus benefits a large share of those with OUD, including the most marginalized groups, and informs efforts to redress long-standing inequities in care. MODRN- EQUIP will build on 12 robust university-state partnerships to execute multi-state Medicaid research and facilitate dissemination and adoption of quality measurement and management systems across states. Our goal is to develop, test and implement OUD quality measures that center health equity and are efficient, feasible and sustainable for state Medicaid agencies to adopt through three integrated research projects: #1: Develop and describe provider-level OUD treatment quality measures and identify beneficiary- and provider-level factors that explain variation and inequities in OUD treatment quality. #2: Collect and integrate patient experiences of OUD treatment with Medicaid administrative data to guide quality and equity improvement. #3: Implement and estimate the effectiveness of a provider-focused quality improvement initiative for OUD. Drawing on infrastructure supported by prior NIDA grants (R01DA055585 and R01DA048029), MODRN-EQUIP will be overseen by a State Steering Committee of Medicaid leaders. Multi- state Medicaid research and dissemination will be executed by a Coordinating Center, a multi- state Methods Core and an Engagement Core that draws on the expertise of Medicaid beneficiaries, providers, managed care organizations and policymakers to develop quality measurement and management systems to transform SUD delivery systems. We will disseminate our findings through state policy networks to reach over 40 states.