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17 Dec 2020
Brief

Using Telehealth to Meet the Challenges of the Opioid Epidemic

Stevland Sonnier, IMPAQ
Anita Makkenchery, IMPAQ
Sinead Maharrey, AIR
Amanda Latimore, AIR
Susan Heil, AIR
Karin Johnson, IMPAQ

Across the United States, overdose death rates are surging. More information is needed to inform the delivery of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and other therapeutic approaches using telehealth. Evidence for the effectiveness of delivery MOUD via telehealth has been promising, yet center on a few case studies and regional efforts.

Necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth for MOUD and overall treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) has dramatically accelerated. With the pandemic continuing to affect in-person access to care, availability of the remote treatment of OUD has become a matter of life and death for over 2.5 million Americans with OUD. The need to remove barriers to the equitable delivery of evidence-based care for treating OUD in a telehealth setting has never been more urgent.

Health policy researchers from AIR and IMPAQ are tracking and evaluating how policymakers, providers, and others in the health care field are responding to the opioid epidemic during the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief covers:

  • How the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting treatment approaches for opioid use disorder;
  • Why federal and state governments are promoting the use of telehealth for OUD treatment; and
  • What policymakers, providers, and other stakeholders can do to ensure telehealth treatment for OUD is equitable and effective.

Infographic: Recommendations for Policymakers and Providers for delivery of medicine for opioid use disorders via telehealth
Link to larger version (PDF) >>

 

PDF icon Using Telehealth to Meet the Challenges of the Opioid Epidemic (PDF)

Related Centers

Center

addiction-counselor-and-patients-691775770-245x163.jpg

Image of addiction counselor and patients

Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (AIR CARES)

Opioid misuse, overdose, and death has become a national public health emergency. AIR has a launched the Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (AIR CARES) to study and coordinate multi-system solutions to the opioid epidemic.

Related Work

1 Dec 2020
Spotlight

covid19-3-18-20-lkb-small-feat.jpg

Illustration of woman with cell phone

AIR’s COVID-19 Response and Resources

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. This virus, also known as COVID-19, has dramatically changed the lives of people around the globe, touching all aspects of life, from health care to education to the economy. In this new world of rapidly changing information about the virus, AIR seeks to be a source of evidence-based information that examines and begins to understand the various complexities of this crisis.
Topic: 
Education, Social and Emotional Learning, Technology for Teaching and Learning, Health, Health Cost and Coverage, Mental Health, Patient, Family, and Stakeholder Engagement, Trauma-Informed Care, Workforce, Adult Learning

Further Reading

  • The Expansion of Telehealth: Equity Considerations for Policymakers, Providers, and Payers
  • Expanding Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Primary Care
  • Opioid Misuse, Overdose, and Death: A National Public Health Emergency
  • Expanding Medication-Assisted Treatment to Curb the Opioid Epidemic
  • The Promise of Telehealth for Addressing COVID-19
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Contact

Image of Amanda Latimore

Amanda Latimore

Director, Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (AIR CARES)

Susan Heil

Principal Researcher

Topic

Health
Eliminating Health Disparities
Substance Use Disorders

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