NIH

AI screening for OUD tied to fewer hospital readmissions

April 8, 2025

An AI-driven screening tool, developed by an NIH-funded research team, successfully identified hospitalized adults at risk for opioid use disorder and recommended referral to inpatient addiction specialists. The AI-based method was just as effective as a health provider-only approach in initiating addiction specialist consultations and recommending monitoring of opioid withdrawal. Compared with patients who received provider-initiated consultations, patients with AI screening had 47% lower odds of being readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after their initial discharge. This reduction in readmissions translated to a total of nearly $109,000 in estimated healthcare savings during the study period.

The results, published in Nature Medicine, suggest that investment in AI may be a promising strategy for healthcare systems seeking to increase access to addiction treatment while improving efficiencies and saving costs.

Source:

(2025, April 3). NIH. AI screening for opioid use disorder associated with fewer hospital readmissions. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/ai-screening-opioid-use-disorder-associated-fewer-hospital-readmissions