Telehealth Appointments Boost Retention For Addiction Treatment

People with opioid use disorder (OUD) who started treatment with buprenorphine and telehealth only appointments were 61% less likely to discontinue treatment than a comparison group who received office-based treatment as usual. Among the telehealth-only group, 4% discontinued treatment at some point during 24 weeks of treatment, compared to a 13% discontinuation rate among those who received treatment as usual.

The study took place in Oregon and Washington from September 2021 through March 2023. The telehealth-only intervention took place via a mobile application that facilitated secure audio, video, and chat with an interdisciplinary care team that included . . .