Expanding telehealth for opioid use disorder during COVID-19 was tied to fewer overdoses. A JAMA Psychiatry study looked at 175,778 Medicare beneficiaries. Patients who got telehealth care were more likely to stay on treatment and less likely to overdose.
Summary: People with opioid use disorder are often slow to seek medical help. The COVID-19 pandemic made things worse. So policymakers made it legal to give medical care for OUD by telehealth. Some people had concerns about the decision. The new study shows telehealth helps people with OUD and is linked to a lower risk of overdose. This shows how important telehealth is for treating and caring for opioid addiction.
The size and reach of the COVID-19 pandemic took everyone by surprise. The world was not ready for it. That created many challenges. It made it harder to give medical help to certain groups of patients. Because of COVID-19, people were also stuck at home and traveled less. So COVID-19 rules became a barrier to seeking medical help.
It is no secret that people with opioid use disorder (OUD) are less likely to seek medical help. There are many reasons, from social stigma to distrust of the system. For them, things got even harder during the pandemic.
Luckily, US policymakers saw this challenge for people with OUD and made telehealth for OUD legal. For the first time, doctors could legally prescribe the opioids used to treat OUD without seeing a patient in person. Not everyone welcomed this change. Many doubted it. They worried it might make the opioid overdose epidemic worse, since opioids would be easier for many people to get.
Luckily, a new study shows these policy changes helped and lowered the risk of overdose. Researchers from the CDC, NIDA, NIH and CMS did the study. The results were published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
In the study, researchers looked at data from 175,778 Medicare beneficiaries from September 2018 to February 2021. They focused on overdoses in people who got medicines for opioid use disorder (MOUD) through telehealth during the pandemic.
They had several interesting findings:
- They found a sudden surge in people seeking telehealth for OUD. The share rose from 0.6% to 19.6% during the pandemic.
- Interestingly, people getting telehealth care were also more likely to get MOUD. The rate was 12.6% for telehealth, compared with 10.8% for those who visited a doctor in person.
- Telehealth had many good effects on patient care. People treated for OUD were more likely to stick with their treatment. They were also less likely to overdose.
Researchers say their findings show that telehealth helped break down the barrier to medical care for addiction. That barrier is one of the biggest reasons many people do not seek help. Without treatment and support, the risk of overdose is naturally higher.
Researchers say there is clear evidence that telehealth helps. It is not just good for patients. It can save many lives. Telehealth can also clearly have many long-term good effects on patients.
The study also found some gaps caused by the digital divide. Non-Hispanic Black people were less likely to use telehealth care. So closing this digital divide is vital to get the full benefit of telehealth.
Researchers say the COVID-19 pandemic created many challenges for health care. But it also opened the door to testing new ways to give care.
In short, this study supports telehealth for OUD. It shows these services must go on even after the pandemic.
Related reading: Opioid Overdose Epidemic During the COVID-19 Pandemic · Gaps in Post-Overdose Care · News Consumption and Mental and Physical Health