Health Services and Mortality Among Opioid Use Disorder Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19

Background: The intersection between the opioid crisis and COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenges. Both opioid use and the novel SARS-CoV-2 affect respiratory and pulmonary health, which when co-occurring could put individuals with opioid use disorders (OUD) at higher risk to complications from COVID-19. We examine the relationship between OUD status and hospitalization, length of stay, risk for invasive ventilator dependence (IVD), and mortality from COVID-19. Methods: Multilevel linear models were employed using electronic health records data from the Cerner COVID-19 De-Identified Data Cohort from January through June 2020. Findings: Out of 52,312 patients with COVID-19, 1.9% (n=1,013) had an indication of OUD. Compared to non-OUD individuals, those with OUD indication had greater chance of hospitalization (86.9% vs. 52.3%, P