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Telehealth-Based Initiation Associated With Improved OUD Treatment Retention
Opioid use disorder (OUD) patients who initiated buprenorphine treatment through telehealth were found to be more likely to remain engaged with treatment longer than those who began treatment in a non-telehealth setting, according to a National Institute on Addictive Disorders (NIDA) study that was released on Wednesday.
The findings, based on an analysis of Medicaid data from 2019 to 2020 in Kentucky and Ohio, were published in JAMA Network Open.
Researchers led by a team at the University of Kentucky in Lexington reviewed Medicaid claims and enrollment data for individuals between the ages of 18 and 64. Nearly 92,000 patients within the dataset had a buprenorphine prescription in at least 1 quarter of 2020, and nearly 43,000 started treatment in 2020.
In Kentucky, 48% of patients who began buprenorphine treatment by telehealth remained in treatment for 90 continuous days, while 44% of those who started their treatment in a non-telehealth setting remained in treatment for the same duration. In Ohio, 32% of telehealth patients maintained treatment for 90 consecutive days, compared to 28% of the non-telehealth population.
Moreover, the study authors found that receiving buprenorphine via telehealth was not associated with increased likelihood of nonfatal overdose.
“This study suggests that telehealth may increase treatment access and retention, strengthening the evidence that receiving addiction care through telehealth is to be safe and beneficial, and that it should be made available to those who need it,” NIDA Director Nora Volkow, MD, said in a news release. “To quell the unprecedented loss of life from the overdose crisis, we must continue to prioritize both increasing access to treatment and providing the care and support people need to stay in treatment after they have started.”
Additionally, certain populations were less likely to receive telehealth-based OUD treatment and were less likely to remain engaged in treatment for 90 consecutive days, the study found. These populations included non-Hispanic Black individuals, men, and those who had previously experienced an overdose that involved opioids.
“Our study suggests that people who have access to telehealth treatment for addiction seem to do better than those who do not. Our hope is that these findings can help inform future policy,” study lead author Lindsey Hammerslag, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Kentucky, said. “The findings also emphasize that the benefits of telehealth are not reaching all populations equitably. As we continue to integrate telehealth into standard care, we must also investigate and address the barriers that are preventing people from accessing this helpful and effective form of treatment for opioid use disorder.”
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