Gap in substance abuse data could have long-term implications

A policy of redacting Medicare claims that included diagnosis or procedure codes related to substance abuse was in effect from 2013-2017, just as the Affordable Care Act and the opioid epidemic were drastically changing the healthcare landscape. Researchers calculated the effects of such a significant data gap on Medicare spending and admissions estimates -- including in one case a $6.8 billion underestimate of inpatient Medicare spending.