Porthole
Statistical questions, and challenges, for estimating the effects of opioid-related policies and programs (306615)
*Elizabeth Stuart, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthKeywords: opioid policy, non-experimental study, evaluation
Given the current opioid crisis in the United States, a wide variety of interventions are underway to try to reduce its impact. This has led to a complex program and policy environment, with intensive initiatives funded by cities, states, the Federal government, and private foundations, making typical “program evaluation” challenging. Even just considering state policies, there are 4 main classes of policies (mandatory prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) enrollment, mandatory PDMP query laws, “pill mill” laws, and opioid prescribing cap laws). At the local levels there are initiatives to increase treatment for substance use, reduce harmful use, and prevent misuse of opioids and other drugs. This talk will give an overview of two projects, one a state policy evaluation aiming to use qualitative and quantitative work to understand the effects of state policies, and another a “real time” evaluation of a large investment by Bloomberg Philanthropies in two states. The discussion will focus on the opportunities for statisticians to get involved in complex policy evaluations such as these, and the statistical challenges and questions that arise.