An increasing number of jails and prisons are seeking to provide medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in their facilities. In collaboration with several JCOIN-participating jails, a customizable budget impact tool was developed to estimate the costs of starting and maintaining methadone, buprenorphine, and/or naltrexone prescribing services. The tool includes estimated fixed, recurring, and variable costs; these estimates are based on real-world information from existing programs and participants in randomized clinical trials. The tool can be helpful in estimating costs and informing “make or buy” decisions – for example, deciding whether to establish an OTP in the jail, or partner with a community OTP or other vendor to provide these services.
The budget impact tool was developed by a team of health economists at the NIDA-funded CHERISH center, in collaboration with JCOIN practitioners. On the CHERISH website (at this link), you can download and use the tool, and read a brief article explaining how it was developed.