Telemedicine Can Be Used to Provide Access to Buprenorphine Treatment in Rural Areas

Opioid use disorder and overdose are growing problems in rural areas. Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is the most effective approach, but access is limited. In 2015, physicians at the University of Maryland created a telemedicine program in collaboration with a treatment center in rural Maryland. The treatment center was staffed by counselors, social workers, and a part-time nurse and provided intensive outpatient treatment and transitional housing. The physicians interviewed patients remotely and prescribed buprenorphine. This article reported on the 3-month outcomes of the first 177 patients treated.

• The mean age of the cohort was 35 years and 89% were male; 75% reported prior injection drug use. Most (72%) reported being abstinent from opioid use prior to referral to treatment.
• By the end of 3 months, 57% remained in treatment and 86% of them had opioid-negative urine drug tests.

Comments: This report shows how telemedicine can be used to provide pharmacotherapy to individuals who live in areas where there is little to no access to OAT. More needs to be done to encourage this type of collaboration to expand access to those who need treatment in underserved areas.

Darius A. Rastegar, MD

Reference: Weintraub E, Greenblatt AD, Chang J, et al. Expanding access to buprenorphine treatment in rural areas with the use of telemedicine. Am J Addict. 2018;27(8):612–617.