Five-Year, $4 Million NIDA Grant Launches Health Economics Study
A collaborative research effort led by Weill Cornell Medicine and the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine has been awarded a five-year, $4 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The study aims to advance understanding of the economics surrounding treatments for substance use disorders (SUDs), with a focus on cost-effectiveness, access, and broad adoption of evidence-based therapies.
Substance use disorders impose substantial costs on patients, healthcare systems, and society at large. While clinical advances have yielded effective treatments for many SUDs, the economics of delivering these therapies—such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT), behavioral interventions, and comprehensive support services—are complex. The new grant supports a comprehensive health economics program that will quantify costs, outcomes, and value across diverse patient populations and care settings.
What the Research Will Explore
The team will investigate several core questions shaping policy and clinical practice. Key areas include the comparative cost-effectiveness of various treatments, the budget impact of expanding access to MAT and psychosocial services, and the long-term economic benefits of reducing relapse and overdose risks. By integrating real-world data (RWD) with economic modeling, researchers aim to provide decision-makers with actionable insights that balance patient outcomes with financial sustainability.
Specific objectives include evaluating the marginal costs and outcomes of different treatment modalities, identifying barriers to access in underserved communities, and assessing how policy changes—such as reimbursement reforms or expanded Medicaid coverage—alter the economics of SUD care. The study will also examine equity implications, ensuring that economic analyses reflect disparities in treatment availability and effectiveness across geographic and demographic groups.
Why This Work Matters
Health economists play a pivotal role in translating clinical success into scalable, affordable care. As the nation continues to confront the opioid crisis and rising concerns about stimulant use disorders, robust economic evidence helps ensure that high-quality treatments reach those in need without overburdening payers or patients. The five-year project seeks to bridge the gap between clinical efficacy and real-world implementation, enabling more efficient allocation of limited healthcare resources.
Moreover, the research will contribute to methodological advances in health economics for addiction care. By harnessing cutting-edge data sources and modeling techniques, the team hopes to set new standards for cost-benefit assessments in SUD treatment and to inform national and state policies that influence coverage, pricing, and service delivery.
Collaborative Leadership and Approach
The study is led by investigators from Weill Cornell Medicine and the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, with contributions from multidisciplinary teams spanning health economics, health services research, epidemiology, and clinical addiction medicine. This collaboration will enable an integrative analysis that considers clinical effectiveness alongside economic value, patient preferences, and system-level constraints.
Data governance and ethics will remain a priority, with careful attention to privacy, data quality, and the generalizability of findings across settings. The researchers plan to publish a series of policy-relevant papers as the project progresses, as well as tools and dashboards to help health systems and policymakers apply the results in real time.
Impact for Patients, Providers, and Payers
Ultimately, the project seeks to improve outcomes for individuals with SUDs by ensuring that effective, evidence-based treatments are both accessible and affordable. For providers, the research will illuminate which combinations of therapies deliver the best value in different clinical contexts. For payers and policymakers, the work will offer transparent, data-driven guidance on where investments yield the greatest health gains and cost savings over the long term.
As the results emerge over the coming years, stakeholders can expect clearer pathways to scale proven treatments, reduce relapse and overdose rates, and create more resilient health systems capable of addressing the ongoing challenges of substance use disorders.
