# Improving Retention across the OUD Service Cascade upon Re-entry from Jail using Recovery Management Checkups

> **NIH NIH UG1** · CHESTNUT HEALTH SYSTEMS, INC. · 2022 · $1,841,136

## Abstract

7. Abstract
Jails provide an optimal setting for intervening with individuals with opioid use disorders (OUD), given the high
volume of offenders with OUD, and their high risk of relapse to opioids following their release to the
community. It is imperative that individuals with OUD are linked to community-based medication assisted
treatment (MAT) upon their re-entry, as well as receive support for their ongoing treatment retention and
recovery. The proposed experiment will test an adapted version of an evidence-based intervention, the
Recovery Management Checkups (RMC) model, which provides quarterly check-ups and assistance with
treatment retention and re-linkage as indicated at the quarterly check-ups. The RMC-Adapted will adjust the
frequency and intensity of check-ups based on the individual’s assessed need for treatment, thereby reducing
(or lengthening) the time between check-ups for those with (or without) indicators of treatment need. The
proposed experiment will compare treatment linkage and retention rates as well as public health and public
safety outcomes of 750 male and female offenders randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups upon release from jail:
a) a re-entry as usual (control), b) the original RMC, and c) a RMC-Adaptive version tailored to the participant’s
need for treatment. The study will be conducted in collaboration with 6 county jails in Illinois and the MAT
providers that currently provide pre- and post-release MAT to offenders with OUD. Pre-release, participants will
be screened for history of OUD and eligibility for MAT. All participants will receive research follow-up interviews
quarterly for 2 years, which will also include urine testing and records checks (treatment, mortality, recidivism).
The study aims are to evaluate: (1) the direct effects of RMC and/or RMC-Adaptive on the OUD service
cascade of care (initiation, engagement, retention, re-linkage, and months of MAT participation); (2) the indirect
effects of RMC and/or RMC-Adaptive (via months of MAT participation) on public health outcomes (days of
opioid use, OUD symptoms, quality of life and the cost of health-care utilization); (3) the indirect effects of RMC
and/or RMC-Adaptive (via months of MAT and public health outcomes) on public safety outcomes (illegal
activity, re-arrest, re-incarceration, and cost of crime); and (4) the incremental costs and cost-effectiveness of
the control vs. RMC vs. RMC-Adaptive in terms of both public health outcomes (days of opioid use, quality
adjusted life years [QALYs], cost-of-health-care utilization) and public safety outcomes (re-incarceration and
cost of crime). The study will determine if tailoring the checkups to individual’s need for treatment leads to
more efficient targeting of resources to those in need, reduces the intervention burden on those with lower
need, and results in an improved overall effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of RMC checkups.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10401769
- **Project number:** 5UG1DA050065-04
- **Recipient organization:** CHESTNUT HEALTH SYSTEMS, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL L. DENNIS
- **Activity code:** UG1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,841,136
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-15 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10401769

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10401769, Improving Retention across the OUD Service Cascade upon Re-entry from Jail using Recovery Management Checkups (5UG1DA050065-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10401769. Licensed CC0.

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