Assessing the comparative effectiveness of ECHO and coaching implementation strategies in a jail/provider MOUD implementation trial

Abstract Background For nearly two decades, it has been widely recognized that individuals in jail settings have a high prevalence of opioid use disorders (OUD) and are highly susceptible to fatal overdose upon their release. This setting provides a public health opportunity to address OUD with Medi...

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Main Authors: Todd Molfenter, Jessica Vechinski, Jee-Seon Kim, Jingru Zhang, Lionel Meng, Jessica Tveit, Lynn Madden, Faye S. Taxman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-02-01
Series:Implementation Science
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-025-01419-6
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author Todd Molfenter
Jessica Vechinski
Jee-Seon Kim
Jingru Zhang
Lionel Meng
Jessica Tveit
Lynn Madden
Faye S. Taxman
author_facet Todd Molfenter
Jessica Vechinski
Jee-Seon Kim
Jingru Zhang
Lionel Meng
Jessica Tveit
Lynn Madden
Faye S. Taxman
author_sort Todd Molfenter
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background For nearly two decades, it has been widely recognized that individuals in jail settings have a high prevalence of opioid use disorders (OUD) and are highly susceptible to fatal overdose upon their release. This setting provides a public health opportunity to address OUD with Medication for Opioid Use Disorders (MOUDs). Yet, 56% of jails do not provide MOUD, creating a pressing need for better implementation approaches in jail and the hand-off to the community. Two successful implementation strategies, NIATx external coaching and the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) case management telementoring model, were compared to address this persistent treatment gap. Methods This 2 × 2 design compared high (n = 12) and low (n = 4) dose coaching with and without ECHO in a 12-month intervention and 12 M sustainability period. The national trial included 25 jails and 13 community-based partners. MOUD trends for buprenorphine, methadone, injectable naltrexone, and combined MOUD between the study arms were assessed. Results Jail sizes ranged from 24% with < 100 and 24% with > 500 daily population, and community-based treatment providers ranged from 63% with < 50 and 7% with > 500 average monthly OUD intakes. New patient counts were found to significantly increase across the intervention phase for buprenorphine (p < .01) and combined MOUD (p < .01). Injectable naltrexone and methadone showed no consistent, significant gains. For sites with low coaching without ECHO, new patient counts for combined MOUD were predicted to increase by 47.44% during the intervention phase and 7.30% during the sustainability phase. ECHO demonstrated that MOUD use did not significantly increase compared to coaching across MOUDs in the intervention phase (p = .517). High- and low-dose coaching showed no significant differences in MOUD use during the intervention phase (p = .124). Conclusions Coaching emerged as a more effective implementation strategy than ECHO for increasing buprenorphine use in jail settings. In practice, ECHO sessions offered considerable overlap with coaching strategies. While high-dose coaching had greater gains for MOUDs overall than low-dose coaching, those gains were statistically insignificant, suggesting low-dose coaching to be more economical. To increase MOUD use in jail settings, jurisdictions should focus on new MOUDs so all three MOUDs are available and enhance the post-incarceration continuum of care. Trial registration Name of registry: ClinicalTrials.gov. Trial registration number: NCT04363320. Date of registration: 2020–07-30. URL of trial registry record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04363320?term=molfenter&rank=7 .
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spelling doaj-art-046480e05a80478db2d4c5ad9f20b6fe2025-02-09T12:48:26ZengBMCImplementation Science1748-59082025-02-0120111210.1186/s13012-025-01419-6Assessing the comparative effectiveness of ECHO and coaching implementation strategies in a jail/provider MOUD implementation trialTodd Molfenter0Jessica Vechinski1Jee-Seon Kim2Jingru Zhang3Lionel Meng4Jessica Tveit5Lynn Madden6Faye S. Taxman7University of WisconsinUniversity of WisconsinUniversity of WisconsinUniversity of WisconsinUniversity of WisconsinUniversity of WisconsinYale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious DiseaseGeorge Mason UniversityAbstract Background For nearly two decades, it has been widely recognized that individuals in jail settings have a high prevalence of opioid use disorders (OUD) and are highly susceptible to fatal overdose upon their release. This setting provides a public health opportunity to address OUD with Medication for Opioid Use Disorders (MOUDs). Yet, 56% of jails do not provide MOUD, creating a pressing need for better implementation approaches in jail and the hand-off to the community. Two successful implementation strategies, NIATx external coaching and the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) case management telementoring model, were compared to address this persistent treatment gap. Methods This 2 × 2 design compared high (n = 12) and low (n = 4) dose coaching with and without ECHO in a 12-month intervention and 12 M sustainability period. The national trial included 25 jails and 13 community-based partners. MOUD trends for buprenorphine, methadone, injectable naltrexone, and combined MOUD between the study arms were assessed. Results Jail sizes ranged from 24% with < 100 and 24% with > 500 daily population, and community-based treatment providers ranged from 63% with < 50 and 7% with > 500 average monthly OUD intakes. New patient counts were found to significantly increase across the intervention phase for buprenorphine (p < .01) and combined MOUD (p < .01). Injectable naltrexone and methadone showed no consistent, significant gains. For sites with low coaching without ECHO, new patient counts for combined MOUD were predicted to increase by 47.44% during the intervention phase and 7.30% during the sustainability phase. ECHO demonstrated that MOUD use did not significantly increase compared to coaching across MOUDs in the intervention phase (p = .517). High- and low-dose coaching showed no significant differences in MOUD use during the intervention phase (p = .124). Conclusions Coaching emerged as a more effective implementation strategy than ECHO for increasing buprenorphine use in jail settings. In practice, ECHO sessions offered considerable overlap with coaching strategies. While high-dose coaching had greater gains for MOUDs overall than low-dose coaching, those gains were statistically insignificant, suggesting low-dose coaching to be more economical. To increase MOUD use in jail settings, jurisdictions should focus on new MOUDs so all three MOUDs are available and enhance the post-incarceration continuum of care. Trial registration Name of registry: ClinicalTrials.gov. Trial registration number: NCT04363320. Date of registration: 2020–07-30. URL of trial registry record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04363320?term=molfenter&rank=7 .https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-025-01419-6External CoachingECHOImplementation StrategiesMedications for Opioid Use Disorders (MOUDs)JailsCriminal Legal Settings
spellingShingle Todd Molfenter
Jessica Vechinski
Jee-Seon Kim
Jingru Zhang
Lionel Meng
Jessica Tveit
Lynn Madden
Faye S. Taxman
Assessing the comparative effectiveness of ECHO and coaching implementation strategies in a jail/provider MOUD implementation trial
Implementation Science
External Coaching
ECHO
Implementation Strategies
Medications for Opioid Use Disorders (MOUDs)
Jails
Criminal Legal Settings
title Assessing the comparative effectiveness of ECHO and coaching implementation strategies in a jail/provider MOUD implementation trial
title_full Assessing the comparative effectiveness of ECHO and coaching implementation strategies in a jail/provider MOUD implementation trial
title_fullStr Assessing the comparative effectiveness of ECHO and coaching implementation strategies in a jail/provider MOUD implementation trial
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the comparative effectiveness of ECHO and coaching implementation strategies in a jail/provider MOUD implementation trial
title_short Assessing the comparative effectiveness of ECHO and coaching implementation strategies in a jail/provider MOUD implementation trial
title_sort assessing the comparative effectiveness of echo and coaching implementation strategies in a jail provider moud implementation trial
topic External Coaching
ECHO
Implementation Strategies
Medications for Opioid Use Disorders (MOUDs)
Jails
Criminal Legal Settings
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-025-01419-6
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