Effectiveness of the Consult for Addiction Treatment and Care in Hospitals (CATCH) Model for Engaging Patients in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment: Pragmatic Trial in a Large Municipal Hospital System

The overarching objective of our study is to evaluate the effectiveness of CATCH as a strategy for engaging patients with OUD in MAT. A pragmatic trial at 6 hospitals, conducted in collaboration with the New York City Health and Hospitals system (H+H) and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), will study the CATCH intervention in real-world settings and at scale. Guided by the RE-AIM evaluation framework, this hybrid effectiveness-implementation study (Type 1) focuses primarily on effectiveness, but also measures implementation outcomes to inform the intervention's adoption and sustainability. A rigorous stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial design determines the impact of CATCH on opioid treatment outcomes in comparison to usual care for a control period, followed by a 12-month intervention period and a maintenance period, and utilizes existing administrative data to evaluate outcomes. Aim 1 (primary aim) is to evaluate the effectiveness of CATCH in increasing post-discharge initiation and engagement in MAT, defined respectively as receiving outpatient MAT within 14 days of discharge, and having at least 2 additional MAT visits in the first month. Aim 2 is to assess the effectiveness of CATCH for increasing treatment retention, defined as continuous receipt of MAT for 6 months. Aim 3 is to compare the frequency of acute care utilization and overdose deaths, and their associated costs, among patients with OUD who are hospitalized during the CATCH period versus usual care. Aim 4 is to evaluate implementation outcomes at CATCH sites using a mixed methods approach to assess the intervention's Reach (proportion of eligible patients reached); Adoption (utilization by medical staff); and Implementation fidelity (barriers to delivering high-quality MAT).