TY - JOUR
KW - Analgesics, Opioid/therapeutic use
KW - Buprenorphine/therapeutic use
KW - Humans
KW - Methadone/therapeutic use
KW - Opiate Substitution Treatment
KW - Opioid-Related Disorders/drug therapy/epidemiology
KW - Pain/drug therapy
KW - Telemedicine
KW - United States/epidemiology
KW - buprenorphine
KW - opioid treatment programs
KW - opioid use disorder
AU - J. A. Furst
AU - N. J. Mynarski
AU - K. L. McCall
AU - B. J. Piper
A1 - 
AB - BACKGROUND: Methadone is an evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) and pain management. Methadone for OUD may be difficult for some patients to access, particularly those in rural areas. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to characterize methadone distribution patterns between 2017 and 2019 across the United States. METHODS: The US Drug Enforcement Administration's Automated Reports and Consolidated Ordering System was used to acquire the number of opioid treatment programs (OTPs) per state and methadone distribution weight in grams. Methadone distributions by weight, corrected for state population and number of OTPs, were compared from 2017 to 2019 between states, within regions, and nationally. RESULTS: The national distribution of methadone increased +12.3% for OTPs but decreased -34.6% for pain. Whereas all states saw a decrease in pain distribution, the Northeast showed a significantly smaller decrease than all other regions. Additionally, the majority of states experienced an increase in distribution for OTPs, and most states demonstrated a relatively stable or increasing number of OTPs, with an +11.5% increase nationally. The number of OTPs per 100K state population ranged from 2.1 in Rhode Island to 0.0 in Wyoming. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Although methadone distribution for OUD was increasing in the United States, the pronounced regional disparities identified warrant further consideration to improve patient access to this evidence-based pharmacotherapy, particularly in the Midwest and West regions. Greater implementation of telehealth and involvement of primary care into opioid treatment practice offer possible solutions to eliminating geographical treatment barriers.
AD - Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Scranton, PA, USA.; Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Scranton, PA, USA.; University of New England, Portland, ME, USA.; Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Scranton, PA, USA.; Center for Pharmacy Innovation and Outcomes, Forty Fort, PA, USA.
BT - The Annals of Pharmacotherapy
C5 - Opioids & Substance Use
CP - 3
CY - United States
DO - 10.1177/10600280211028262
IS - 3
JF - The Annals of Pharmacotherapy
LA - eng
M1 - Journal Article
N2 - BACKGROUND: Methadone is an evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) and pain management. Methadone for OUD may be difficult for some patients to access, particularly those in rural areas. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to characterize methadone distribution patterns between 2017 and 2019 across the United States. METHODS: The US Drug Enforcement Administration's Automated Reports and Consolidated Ordering System was used to acquire the number of opioid treatment programs (OTPs) per state and methadone distribution weight in grams. Methadone distributions by weight, corrected for state population and number of OTPs, were compared from 2017 to 2019 between states, within regions, and nationally. RESULTS: The national distribution of methadone increased +12.3% for OTPs but decreased -34.6% for pain. Whereas all states saw a decrease in pain distribution, the Northeast showed a significantly smaller decrease than all other regions. Additionally, the majority of states experienced an increase in distribution for OTPs, and most states demonstrated a relatively stable or increasing number of OTPs, with an +11.5% increase nationally. The number of OTPs per 100K state population ranged from 2.1 in Rhode Island to 0.0 in Wyoming. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Although methadone distribution for OUD was increasing in the United States, the pronounced regional disparities identified warrant further consideration to improve patient access to this evidence-based pharmacotherapy, particularly in the Midwest and West regions. Greater implementation of telehealth and involvement of primary care into opioid treatment practice offer possible solutions to eliminating geographical treatment barriers.
PP - United States
PY - 2022
SN - 1542-6270; 1060-0280
SP - 271
EP - 279
EP - 
T1 - Pronounced Regional Disparities in United States Methadone Distribution
T2 - The Annals of Pharmacotherapy
TI - Pronounced Regional Disparities in United States Methadone Distribution
U1 - Opioids & Substance Use
U2 - 34184584
U3 - 10.1177/10600280211028262
VL - 56
VO - 1542-6270; 1060-0280
Y1 - 2022
Y2 - Mar
ER -