Thuy Dieu Nguyen, PhD, MPA

• PhD, Economics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands, 2016
• MPA, Policy Analysis, Indiana University, Bloomington, 2012
• BA, Finance and Banking, National Economics University, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2008

NIDA R01 Project: Evaluating state policies to facilitate emergency department-based treatment initiation for opioid use disorder  (Principal Investigator) 

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a life-threatening health condition affecting 7.6 million people in the U.S. Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), such as methadone and buprenorphine, decrease mortality among patients with OUD by 50%. Emergency department (ED) visits for opioid overdose are an important opportunity to initiate MOUD, but buprenorphine is only prescribed to 1 in 12 patients visiting the ED for opioid overdose. Since 2015, at least 5 states have implemented laws requiring EDs treating patients for opioid overdose to offer MOUD induction or prescriptions, provide patients with information about MOUD, and/or provide “warm hand-offs”. State ED MOUD laws could increase MOUD treatment and prevent morbidity and mortality among patients with OUD. This project will be the first to create a database of states’ ED MOUD laws, describe MOUD initiation and retention following ED visits using multiple national claims data, and examine ED MOUD law effects on patient outcomes.

NIDA R01 Project: Insurance-Related Barriers to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in Private and Medicaid Plans (Principal Investigator) 

In 2023, over 80,000 opioid overdose deaths occurred in the U.S, highlighting the importance of mitigating insurance-related barriers to accessing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). In this proposal, we will provide actionable, policy-relevant information on the effect of cost-sharing for MOUD in privately insured patients and on the effect of removing prior authorization requirements for MOUD in Medicaid patients. Results will inform efforts to optimize insurance benefit design for MOUD in private and Medicaid plans, potentially leading to the removal of insurance-related barriers that may be contributing to opioid-related morbidity and mortality.

NIDA R01 Project: The Impact of Surgery on Outcomes for Patients Taking Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (Principal Investigator) 

Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD)–buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone–decrease illicit opioid use, increase retention in treatment, and save lives. However, for patients taking MOUD, and buprenorphine in particular, the treatment of acute pain after surgery is challenging. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist that acts as a competitive antagonist for traditional opioids. Due to this fact, perioperative guidelines have historically advocated that patients temporarily discontinue buprenorphine before surgery. However, the national conversation has recently shifted with guidelines recommending that buprenorphine, and to a lesser extent methadone, be continued in the perioperative setting. The evidence supporting this change has relied on small samples, non-surgical cohorts, and studies failing to examine relevant outcomes for pain and opioid use disorder. In this proposal, we will use several state-of-the-art national databases to achieve a better understanding of perioperative management of MOUD and the consequences of therapy retention on opioid overdose risk.

Medications for Opioid Use Disorder: Clinician Behavior and Policy Evaluation 

Physician prescribing behavior may be influenced by a number of factors including prescriber incentives and pharmaceutical policy. As we search for solutions to address the ongoing opioid epidemic, it is important that we understand both the intended and unintended consequences of opioid related policies. For example, previous studies by the team have demonstrated an association between less restrictive scope-of-practice regulations and greater buprenorphine prescribing by nurse practitioners. Future work related to this project will continue to explore the link between opioid related policy and clinician behavior. 

Health Care Workforce Data and Policy 

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a variety of disruptions to the health care workforce. Although publications on select workforce sectors chronicle patterns in employment through the early pandemic, there is a lack of national studies on the broad health care workforce using more recent data in this period of rapid change. This limits the ability of health care organizations and policy makers to ensure that patient needs are met. This project aims to address this knowledge gap, providing data driven insights into health care employment using large national databases.

Bicket, M.C., Qi, X., Buchwalder, K., Chua, K.P., Lagisetty, P., Gunaseelan, V., Waljee, J.F., Brummett, C.M., Li, Y. and Nguyen, TD, 2026. Trends in Use of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder among Commercially Insured US Surgical Patients, 2016 to 2022. Anesthesiology, 144(2), pp.431-440.

Nguyen, TD, Jiao, Y., Lee, S.S., Lagisetty, P., Bohnert, A., Kocher, K.E. and Chua, K.P., 2025. Medicaid Patients With ED Visits For Overdose: Disparities In Initiation Of Medications For Opioid Use Disorder: Article examines Medicaid patients with overdose emergency department visits and initiation of medications for opioid use disorder. Health Affairs, 44(5), pp.622-630.

Nguyen, TD, Conti, R.M., Lagisetty, P., Bohnert, A.S., Nuliyalu, U. and Chua, K.P., 2025, July. Cost-Sharing and Buprenorphine Prescription Dispensing. In JAMA Health Forum (Vol. 6, No. 7, pp. e251913-e251913). American Medical Association.

Nguyen, TD, Whaley, C., Simon, K.I. and Cantor, J., 2025. Health Care Workforce Recovery After the End of the COVID-19 Emergency. JAMA, 334(8), pp. 732-734.

Nguyen, TD, Whaley, C.M., Simon, K., Mehta, N., Yu, H., McBain, R.K., Mehrotra, A. and Cantor, J.H., 2025, November. Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in the Health Care Sector. In JAMA Health Forum (Vol. 6, No. 11, p. e255029). American Medical Association.

Chua K, Conti RM, Lagisetty P, Bohnert AS, He S, Nguyen TD. Association Between Cost Sharing and Naloxone Prescription Dispensing. JAMA. Published online June 13, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.8378

Chua KP, Bicket MC, Bohnert ASB, Conti RM, Lagisetty P, Nguyen TD. Buprenorphine Dispensing after Elimination of the Waiver Requirement. New England Journal of Medicine. 2024 Apr 25;390(16):1530-1532. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc2312906. PMID: 38657250

Nguyen TD, Whaley C, Simon KI, Cantor J. Changes in Employment in the US Health Care Workforce, 2016-2022. JAMA. Published online November 02, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.18932; PMID: 37917055; PMCID: PMC10623300

Gupta, S., Nguyen, TD, Freeman, P.R. and Simon, K., 2023. Competitive effects of federal and state opioid restrictions: Evidence from the controlled substance laws. Journal of Health Economics, 91, p.102772.

Andraka-Christou B, Simon KI, Bradford WD, Nguyen TD. Buprenorphine Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder: Comparison Of Insurance Restrictions, 2017-21. Health Affairs (Millwood). 2023 May;42(5):658-664. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2022.01513. PMID: 37126752. 

Nguyen, TD, Ziedan, E., Simon, K., Miles, J., Crystal, S., Samples, H. and Gupta, S., 2022. Racial and ethnic disparities in buprenorphine and extended-release naltrexone filled prescriptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Network Open, 5(6), pp.e2214765-e2214765.

Nguyen, TD, Muench, U., Andraka-Christou, B., Simon, K., Bradford, W.D. and Spetz, J., 2022. The association between scope of practice regulations and nurse practitioner prescribing of buprenorphine after the 2016 opioid bill. Medical Care Research and Review, 79(2), pp.290-298.

Nguyen, TD, Gupta, S., Ziedan, E., Simon, KI, Alexander, G.C., Saloner, B. and Stein, B.D., 2021. Assessment of filled buprenorphine prescriptions for opioid use disorder during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. JAMA internal medicine, 181(4), pp.562-565.

Nguyen, TD, 2020. Does firm growth increase corruption? Evidence from an instrumental variable approach. Small Business Economics, 55(1), pp.237-256.

Nguyen, TD, Bradford, WD and Simon, KI, 2019. Pharmaceutical payments to physicians may increase prescribing for opioids. Addiction, 114(6), pp.1051-1059.

Email: thuydn@umich.edu
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Address:
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