Background Despite widely-known negative effects of substance use disorders (SUD) on women, children, and society, knowledge about population-based prevalence and impact of SUD and SUD treatment during the perinatal period is limited. Methods Population-based data from 375,851 singleton deliveries in Massachusetts 2003–2007 were drawn from a maternal-infant longitudinally-linked statewide dataset of vital statistics, hospital discharges (including emergency department (ED) visits), and SUD treatment records. Maternal SUD and SUD treatment were identified from one-year pre-conception through delivery. We determined (1) the prevalence of SUD and SUD treatment; (2) the association of SUD with women’s perinatal health service utilization, obstetric experiences, and birth outcomes; and (3) the association of SUD treatment with birth outcomes, using both bivariate and adjusted analyses. Principal Findings 5.5% of Massachusetts’s deliveries between 2003–2007 occurred in mothers with SUD, but only 66% of them received SUD treatment pre-delivery. Women with SUD were poorer, less educated and had more health problems; utilized less prenatal care but more antenatal ED visits and hospitalizations, and had worse obstetric and birth outcomes. In adjusted analyses, SUD was associated with higher risk of prematurity (AOR 1.35, 95% CI 1.28–1.41) and low birthweight (LBW) (AOR 1.73, 95%CI 1.64–1.82). Women receiving SUD treatment had lower odds of prematurity (AOR 0.61, 95%CI 0.55–0.68) and LBW (AOR 0.54, 95%CI 0.49–0.61). Conclusions SUD treatment may improve perinatal outcomes among pregnant women with SUD, but many who need treatment don’t receive it. Longitudinally-linked existing public health and programmatic records provide opportunities for states to monitor SUD identification and treatment.

Children with Down syndrome (DS) use hospital services more often than children without DS, but data on racial/ethnic variations are limited. This study generated population-based estimates of hospital use and cost to 3 years of age by race/ethnicity among children with DS in Massachusetts using birth certificates linked to birth defects registry and hospital discharge data from 1999 to 2004. Hospital use (≥1 post-birth hospitalization and median days hospitalized birth and post-birth) and reasons for hospitalization were compared across maternal race/ethnicity using relative risk (RR) and Wilcoxon rank sums tests, as appropriate. Costs were calculated in 2011 United States dollars. Greater hospital use was observed among children with DS with Hispanic vs. Non-Hispanic White (NHW) mothers (post-birth hospitalization: RR 1.4; median days hospitalized: 20.0 vs. 11.0, respectively). Children with DS and congenital heart defects of Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) mothers had significantly greater median days hospitalized than their NHW counterparts (24.0 vs. 16.0, respectively). Respiratory diagnoses were listed more often among children with Hispanic vs. NHW mothers (50.0% vs. 29.1%, respectively), and NHBs had more cardiac diagnoses (34.1% vs. 21.5%, respectively). The mean total hospital cost was nine times higher among children with DS ($40,075) than among children without DS ($4053), and total costs attributable to DS were almost $18 million. Median costs were $22,781 for Hispanics, $18,495 for NHBs, and $13,947 for NHWs. Public health interventions should address the higher rates of hospital use and hospitalizations for respiratory and cardiac diseases among racial/ethnic minority children with DS in Massachusetts.

The objectives of this study were to develop an algorithm using government-collected administrative data to identify prenatally drug-exposed infants (DEI) and determine the percent who were referred to and eligible for Part C Early Intervention (EI) in Massachusetts. Data from the population-based Pregnancy to Early Life Longitudinal (PELL) Data System were used to develop the Drug-Exposed Infant Identification Algorithm (DEIIA). The DEIIA uses positive toxicology screens on the birth certificate and International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition, Clinical Modification diagnostic codes in hospital records of the mother (prenatal and birth) and infant (birth and postnatal) to identify infants affected by substance abuse/dependence, withdrawal, and/or prenatal exposure to non-medical use of controlled substances. PELL-EI data linkages were used to determine the percent referred, evaluated, and eligible. The DEIIA identified 7,348 drug-exposed infants born in Massachusetts from 1998 to 2005 to resident mothers (1.2 % of all births). Most DEI (82.6 %) were identified from maternal/infant birth hospital records. Sixty-one percent of all DEI were referred to EI; 87.2 % of those referred were evaluated, and 89.4 % of those evaluated were found eligible. EI data contained information on drug exposure for 59.9 % of referred DEI. Only 2.8 % of MA resident births who were referred to EI but not identified by the DEIIA had drug indicators in EI data. DEI referrals to EI are federally mandated, but many are not referred. The DEIIA uses data available in most states and could be used as a public health screening tool to improve access to developmental services for DEI.

Introduction Longitudinal patterns of treatment utilization and relapse among women of reproductive age with substance use disorder (SUD) are not well known. In this statewide report spanning seven years we describe SUD prevalence, SUD treatment utilization, and differences in subsequent emergency department (ED) use and post-treatment relapse rates by type of treatment: none, ‘acute only’ (detoxification/stabilization), or ‘ongoing’ services. Methods We linked a statewide dataset of hospital discharge, observation stay and ED records with SUD treatment admission records from hospitals and freestanding facilities, and birth/fetal death certificates, in Massachusetts, 2002–2008. We aggregated episodes into individual woman records, identified evidence of SUD and treatment, and tested post-treatment outcomes. Results Nearly 150,000 (8.5%) of 1.7 million Massachusetts women aged 15–49 were identified as SUD-positive. Nearly half of SUD-positive women (71,533 or 48.3%) had evidence of hospital or facility-based SUD treatment; among these, 12% received acute care/detoxification only while 88% obtained ‘ongoing’ treatment. Treatment varied by substance type; women with dual diagnosis and those with opiate use were least likely to receive ‘ongoing’ treatment. Treated women were older and less likely to have a psychiatric history or chronic illness. Women who received ‘acute only’ services were more likely to relapse (12.4% vs. 9.6%) and had a 10% higher rate of ED visits post-treatment than women receiving ‘ongoing’ treatment. Conclusions Many Massachusetts women of reproductive age need but do not receive adequate SUD treatment. ‘Ongoing’ services beyond detoxification/stabilization may reduce the likelihood of post-treatment relapse and/or reliance on the ED for subsequent medical care.