Community-prescribed opioids and Veterans' safety and pain
Official title: ECCO - Evaluation of Outcomes Associated with Community Care Prescribed Opioids
Funded at Minneapolis VA Medical Center · NIH-11303305 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how opioid prescriptions from community providers affect Veterans' safety and pain outcomes since the MISSION Act expanded community care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Minneapolis VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2023 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003224-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11303305 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Veterans who receive care through the VA and also get opioid prescriptions from community (non-VA) providers for acute or chronic pain.
✕Less likely to help
Non-Veterans and Veterans who receive all care exclusively within VA or who are not prescribed opioids are unlikely to be included or directly benefit.
What this research studies
From your perspective as a Veteran, researchers will compare opioid prescriptions written by community (non-VA) clinicians with those written by VA clinicians using VA medical records, pharmacy fill data, and patient-reported outcome measures. The team will identify higher-risk prescribing patterns (for example, high doses or overlapping prescriptions) and link those patterns to safety events and reported pain outcomes. The work covers the period after the MISSION Act expanded community care and focuses on Veterans who use both VA and non-VA services. Findings are intended to guide better coordination between VA and community providers and improve opioid safety for Veterans.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reduce opioid-related harms and improve pain care for Veterans by identifying risky prescribing patterns and informing safer coordination between VA and community clinicians.
How similar studies have gone: Previous VA efforts like the Opioid Safety Initiative reduced high-risk opioid prescribing, but this project is the first to focus on Veteran-centered outcomes after the MISSION Act's expansion of community care.
Where this research is happening
-
Minneapolis VA Medical Center
Minneapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Duan-Porter, Wei — Minneapolis VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Duan-Porter, Wei
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.