The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute of Health’s “Helping to End Addiction Long-term” (HEAL) Initiative analyzed Medicaid data in two states with a high incidence of opioid use disorder (OUD) and found that starting buprenorphine treatment along with telehealth monitoring and support increased the likelihood of persistence and retention in treatment.
In Kentucky, 48% of those who started buprenorphine treatment via telehealth and physician support