Patient navigation to connect people with opioid use disorder to care after hospital discharge
Official title: Implementing a patient navigation intervention across a health system to improve outcomes for patients with opioid use disorder
Funded at Friends Research Institute, INC. · NIH-11360494 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program pairs hospitalized people with opioid use disorder with a patient navigator who helps them start and stay on opioid agonist treatment after leaving the hospital.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Friends Research Institute, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,130,715 |
| NIH project number | 4R33DA059033-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11360494 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults hospitalized with opioid use disorder who are not currently engaged in opioid agonist treatment and are willing to be linked to post-discharge care are the primary candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People already stably engaged in outpatient opioid agonist treatment or those not admitted to a participating hospital or unwilling to work with a navigator may not benefit.
What this research studies
If you are hospitalized with opioid use disorder, the program pairs you with a patient navigator who helps arrange opioid agonist treatment (like buprenorphine), follow-up appointments, transportation, and other supports after discharge. The research team is scaling a proven program called NavSTAR across hospitals using an Implementation Facilitation approach that offers training, data-sharing, and resources to local staff. They will follow patients after discharge to see whether more people begin and continue treatment, have fewer hospital readmissions, and whether the program can be sustained across sites. This work builds on a prior randomized trial of 400 people that showed NavSTAR improved treatment entry and reduced readmissions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more people with OUD could start and stay on lifesaving medication and experience fewer hospital readmissions.
How similar studies have gone: A prior single-site randomized trial of NavSTAR with 400 participants showed improved entry to treatment and reduced readmissions, but multi-site implementation is new.
Where this research is happening
-
Friends Research Institute, INC.
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Alexander, Karen — Friends Research Institute, INC.
- Study coordinator: Alexander, Karen
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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.