Recovery coaches, trained peers with a history of substance use disorder (SUD) who are formally embedded in the health care team, may be a cost-effective approach to support outpatient management of SUD treatment. This study evaluated the integration of peer recovery coaches in general medical settings, finding reductions in acute care utilization and increases in outpatient treatment utilization among patients connected to a recovery coach.
Magidson JF, Regan S, Powell E, Jack HE, Herman GE, Zaro C, Kane MT, Wakeman SE. 2020. Peer recovery coaches in general medical settings: Changes in utilization, treatment engagement, and opioid use. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2021 Mar;122:108248. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2020.108248. Epub 2020 Dec 11. PMID: 33509420.