Many Clinicians Implement Digital Equity Strategies to Treat Opioid Use Disorder

Health Affairs: Many Clinicians Implement Digital Equity Strategies to Treat Opioid Use Disorder

Maintaining access to care via telemedicine was critical for treating opioid use disorder (OUD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study found that in March 2022, 77 percent of clinician respondents reported implementing digital equity strategies, such as audio-only telehealth, to help patients overcome barriers to video visits. Although declining in use, audio-only visits have continued to play a significant role in care delivery for patients with OUD, representing more than one in ten total visits and one in three telemedicine visits in March 2022. This relatively high level of use is occurring despite clinicians’ concerns about the quality of care provided by audio-only visits and their preference not to deliver audio-only visits after the pandemic has ended.