TY - JOUR
AU - S. J. Harris
AU - C. R. Yarbrough
AU - A. J. Abraham
A1 - 
AB - In 2020 Medicare began reimbursing for opioid treatment program (OTP) services, including methadone maintenance treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), for the first time. Methadone is highly effective for OUD, yet its availability is restricted to OTPs. We used 2021 data from the National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Facilities to examine county-level factors associated with OTPs accepting Medicare. In 2021, 16.3 percent of counties had at least one OTP that accepted Medicare. In 124 counties the OTP was the only specialty treatment facility offering any form of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Regression results showed that the odds of a county having an OTP that accepted Medicare were lower for counties with higher versus lower percentages of rural residents and lower for counties located in the Midwest, South, and West compared with the Northeast. The new OTP benefit improved the availability of MOUD treatment for beneficiaries, although geographic gaps in access remain.
AD - Samantha J. Harris, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.;Courtney R. Yarbrough (courtney.yarbrough@emory.edu), Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.;Amanda J. Abraham, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
AN - 37406230
BT - Health Aff (Millwood)
C5 - Opioids & Substance Use; Financing & Sustainability
CP - 7
DA - Jul
DO - 10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00148
DP - NLM
IS - 7
JF - Health Aff (Millwood)
LA - eng
N2 - In 2020 Medicare began reimbursing for opioid treatment program (OTP) services, including methadone maintenance treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), for the first time. Methadone is highly effective for OUD, yet its availability is restricted to OTPs. We used 2021 data from the National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Facilities to examine county-level factors associated with OTPs accepting Medicare. In 2021, 16.3 percent of counties had at least one OTP that accepted Medicare. In 124 counties the OTP was the only specialty treatment facility offering any form of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Regression results showed that the odds of a county having an OTP that accepted Medicare were lower for counties with higher versus lower percentages of rural residents and lower for counties located in the Midwest, South, and West compared with the Northeast. The new OTP benefit improved the availability of MOUD treatment for beneficiaries, although geographic gaps in access remain.
PY - 2023
SN - 0278-2715
SP - 991
EP - 996+
ST - Changes In County-Level Access To Medications For Opioid Use Disorder After Medicare Coverage Of Methadone Treatment Began
T1 - Changes In County-Level Access To Medications For Opioid Use Disorder After Medicare Coverage Of Methadone Treatment Began
T2 - Health Aff (Millwood)
TI - Changes In County-Level Access To Medications For Opioid Use Disorder After Medicare Coverage Of Methadone Treatment Began
U1 - Opioids & Substance Use; Financing & Sustainability
U3 - 10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00148
VL - 42
VO - 0278-2715
Y1 - 2023
ER -