Private Equity Acquisition Of Addiction Treatment Facilities Linked To Higher Buprenorphine Use, Lower Treatment Retention

At addiction treatment facilities acquired by private equity, the number of people with opioid use disorder (OUD) receiving buprenorphine increased, according to a recent comparison. However, the duration of treatment retention related to buprenorphine prescribing decreased.

The analysis included 90 addiction treatment facilities acquired by private equity from the third quarter of 2019 through the second quarter of 2021. The comparison group included 2,374 facilities that were not owned by private equity investors. The researchers analyzed differences in the number of people with OUD being treated with buprenorphine and treatment retention measures.

Private equity acquisition was associated with an . . .