Standards for how to investigate and report on overdoses vary widely across states and counties. As a result, opioid overdose deaths aren’t always captured in the data reported to the federal government. The country undercounts opioid-related overdoses by 20 to 35 percent, according to a study published in February in the journal Addiction. “We have a real crisis, and one of the things we need to invest in, if we’re going to make progress, is getting better information,” said Christopher Ruhm, the author of the paper and a UVA health economist.