The study aims to see whether the shutting down of innovative drug addiction treatment centers using the Massachusetts Model impacted opioid overdose deaths.
We use the Fortress vs. Frontier model of entrepreneurship and theories of interest groups and rent seeking to frame the issue. We then use panel data to examine whether there is any association between the presence of PMAI (Preventive Medicine Associates, Inc.) clinics and Opioid Deaths (includes heroin, opioid based prescription painkillers and other opioids) in the various counties in the state of Massachusetts.
We conclude that PMAI clinics may have played a positive role in reducing deaths due to opioid use. Further, the study prompts the question whether the medication naltrexone plays a role in opioid use disorder treatment in the context of primary care. In our baseline model using dynamic panel data estimation, we find that while per capita opioid prescriptions increased opioid deaths per 100-thousand in the range of 10–15, PMAI clinics reduced the fatalities by 2–3.
In the midst of a national emergency, we analyze the shutdown of the innovative Massachusetts Model for substance use disorder.
