Background: Despite a public health crisis – over 500,000 individuals have died from opioid overdoses since 2000 – and the availability of effective therapies, most patients with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) are not offered treatment. Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), such as with buprenorphine, is associated with significantly higher rates of abstinence and follow-up, lower rates of [...]

Background: Despite a public health crisis – over 500,000 individuals have died from opioid overdoses since 2000 – and the availability of effective therapies, most patients with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) are not offered treatment. Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), such as with buprenorphine, is associated with significantly higher rates of abstinence and follow-up, lower rates of [...]

Background: The direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) apixaban and rivaroxaban are increasingly prescribed due to convenient oral formulation without the need for routine laboratory monitoring and are now commonly regarded as first line anticoagulants in most cases of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, the optimal choice of subsequent anticoagulant in instances of first line DOAC failure is [...]

Background: Clinicians face substantial challenges in limiting life-prolonging interventions (e.g., ICU admission, life-sustaining treatments, invasive procedures) near the end of life, even when they judge these interventions to be non-beneficial [1-3]. The objective of our study was to empirically derive a descriptive framework of decision-making approaches used by clinicians to limit (i.e., withhold or withdraw) [...]

Background: The US has a heavy burden of deaths from opioid overdoses, and New Mexico is not excepted from this. Treatment options for opioid use disorder (OUD) are buprenorphine/naloxone (“Suboxone”), methadone, naltrexone, counseling, and/or behavioral therapy. Long-acting oral opioids like Suboxone, are the most effective methods for treating opioid withdrawal and OUD. They are often [...]

Background: The number of elderly stage IV cancer patients is increasing every year. Various factors need to be considered for systemic cancer treatment in older patients. This study was conducted to examine the difference in clinical features and overall survival between the group that received the best supportive care and the group that received active [...]

Background: Transportation is a social determinant of health that can be a barrier to care and exacerbate disparities. During the COVID pandemic, access to transport was further diminished.Monoclonal antibodies (Mab) are associated decreased hospitalization in high-risk COVID patients. Until 9/2022, the $2000 cost per dose of Mabs was paid by the federal government. However transportation [...]

Background: Management of heart failure (HF) patients revolves around optimization of guideline directed medical therapy (GDMT) and routine monitoring. Substance use plays a major role as the etiology of HF, especially in a low socioeconomic area with ethnic and racial minority patients. The aim of this study is to find the correlation of alcohol, tobacco [...]

Background: Research suggests that COPD patients with low peak inspiratory flow rate (PIFR,

Background: The subset of admitted Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) may be associated with incremental economic burden compared with other MDD patients. This study aimed to characterize and evaluate healthcare resource use, admission measures, and costs in these two groups. Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years with a diagnosis of MDD admitted [...]