Opioid use disorder patients on Medicare had fewer fatal overdoses after moving to telehealth services, according to a study published March 29 in JAMA Psychiatry.
OUD telehealth patients starting a new episode of care during the pandemic were 33 percent less likely to fatally overdose, compared with those in the study cohort who did not receive telehealth services for opioid use. The trend held even after accounting for OUD and non-OUD care engagement and the receipt of medication.
"Despite encouraging findings associated with telehealth…only one in five in our pandemic cohort received OUD-related telehealth services," the study's researchers said.
Medication from opioid treatment programs, and buprenorphine in office-based settings, were linked to a 59 percent and 38 percent lower adjusted risk of fatal overdose, respectively. Extended-release naltrexone, however, was not associated with reduced risk for a fatal overdose.