NIDA‐funded study supports telehealth buprenorphine

Abstract

Starting buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) through telehealth was associated with an increased likelihood of staying in treatment longer compared to starting treatment in a non‐telehealth setting, according to a new study analyzing Medicaid data from 2019–2020 in Kentucky and Ohio. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study, “Telemedicine Buprenorphine Initiation and Retention in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment for Medicaid Enrollees,” by Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Ph.D., and colleagues, was released Oct. 18. The research adds to what the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) calls a “growing body of evidence” supporting telehealth initiation of buprenorphine treatment.