Telehealth increases likelihood of continuing OUD treatment

People who started buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder through telehealth were more likely to stay in treatment longer compared with those who started treatment in a non-telehealth setting, a study found. Published this week in JAMA Network Open, the study analyzed Medicaid data from 2019-2020 in Kentucky and Ohio. In Kentucky, 48% of people who started buprenorphine treatment through telehealth continued treatment for 90 continuous days, compared to 44% who started treatment in non-telehealth settings. In Ohio, 32% of people who started treatment via telehealth remained in treatment for 90 continuous days, compared to 28% who started treatment in non-telehealth settings. (NIH news release, 10/18/23)