Tuesday Aug 09, 2022
Lead Story: Impact of COVID-19 Telehealth Policy Changes on Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
Impact of COVID-19 Telehealth Policy Changes on Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
American Journal of Psychiatry
This was a national retrospective cohort study with interrupted time-series analyses that examined the impact of policy changes in March 2020 on buprenorphine treatment for OUD in the Veterans Health Administration, during the year before the start and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also examined were trends in the use of telephone, video, and in-person visits for buprenorphine treatment and a comparison of patient demographic characteristics and retention in buprenorphine treatment across the two periods. The number of patients receiving buprenorphine continued to increase after the COVID-19 policy changes, but the delivery of care shifted to telehealth visits, suggesting that any reversal of COVID-19 policies must be carefully considered.