TY - JOUR
AU - P. Treitler
AU - M. Enich
AU - C. Bowden
AU - A. Mahone
AU - J. Lloyd
AU - S. Crystal
A1 - 
AB - INTRODUCTION: Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are the most effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) but remain underutilized. To reduce barriers to MOUD prescribing and increase treatment access, New Jersey's Medicaid program implemented the Office-Based Addiction Treatment (OBAT) Program in 2019, which increased reimbursement for office-based buprenorphine prescribing and established newly reimbursable patient navigation services in OBAT clinics. Using a mixed-methods design, this study aimed to describe stakeholder experiences with the OBAT program and to assess implementation and uptake of the program. METHODS: This study used a concurrent, triangulated mixed-methods design, which integrated complementary qualitative (semi-structured interviews) and quantitative (Medicaid claims) data to gain an in-depth understanding of the implementation of the OBAT program. We elicited stakeholder perspectives through interviews with 22 NJ Medicaid MOUD providers and 8 policy key informants, and examined trends in OBAT program utilization using 2019-2020 NJ Medicaid claims for 5380 Medicaid enrollees who used OBAT services. We used cross-case analysis (provider interviews) and a case study approach (key informant interviews) in analyzing qualitative data, and calculated descriptive statistics and trends for quantitative data. RESULTS: Provider enrollment and utilization of OBAT services increased steadily during the first two years of program implementation. Interviewees reported that enhanced reimbursements for office-based MOUD incentivized greater MOUD prescribing, while coverage of patient navigation services improved patient care. Despite increasing enrollment in the OBAT program, the proportion of primary care physicians in the state who enrolled in the program remained limited. Key barriers to enrollment included: requirements for a patient navigator; concerns about administrative burdens and reimbursement delays from Medicaid; lack of awareness of the program; and beliefs that patients with OUD were better served in comprehensive care settings. Patient navigation was highlighted as a critical and valuable element of the program, but navigator enrollment and reimbursement challenges may have prevented greater uptake of this service. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an OBAT model that enhanced reimbursement and provided coverage for patient navigation likely expanded access to MOUD in NJ. Results support initiatives like the OBAT program in improving access to MOUD, but program adaptations, where feasible, could improve uptake and utilization.
AD - Center for Health Services Research, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 112 Paterson St. 3rd Floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States of America; Boston University School of Social Work, 264 Bay State Rd., Boston, MA 02215, United States of America. Electronic address: treitler@bu.edu.; Center for Health Services Research, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 112 Paterson St. 3rd Floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States of America; School of Social Work, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 120 Albany St., New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States of America.; Center for Health Services Research, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 112 Paterson St. 3rd Floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States of America.; Center for Health Services Research, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 112 Paterson St. 3rd Floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States of America; School of Social Work, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 120 Albany St., New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States of America; School of Public Health, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 683 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States of America.
AN - 37935350
BT - J Subst Use Addict Treat
C5 - Opioids & Substance Use; Financing & Sustainability
DA - Jan
DO - 10.1016/j.josat.2023.209212
DP - NLM
ET - 20231105
JF - J Subst Use Addict Treat
LA - eng
N2 - INTRODUCTION: Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are the most effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) but remain underutilized. To reduce barriers to MOUD prescribing and increase treatment access, New Jersey's Medicaid program implemented the Office-Based Addiction Treatment (OBAT) Program in 2019, which increased reimbursement for office-based buprenorphine prescribing and established newly reimbursable patient navigation services in OBAT clinics. Using a mixed-methods design, this study aimed to describe stakeholder experiences with the OBAT program and to assess implementation and uptake of the program. METHODS: This study used a concurrent, triangulated mixed-methods design, which integrated complementary qualitative (semi-structured interviews) and quantitative (Medicaid claims) data to gain an in-depth understanding of the implementation of the OBAT program. We elicited stakeholder perspectives through interviews with 22 NJ Medicaid MOUD providers and 8 policy key informants, and examined trends in OBAT program utilization using 2019-2020 NJ Medicaid claims for 5380 Medicaid enrollees who used OBAT services. We used cross-case analysis (provider interviews) and a case study approach (key informant interviews) in analyzing qualitative data, and calculated descriptive statistics and trends for quantitative data. RESULTS: Provider enrollment and utilization of OBAT services increased steadily during the first two years of program implementation. Interviewees reported that enhanced reimbursements for office-based MOUD incentivized greater MOUD prescribing, while coverage of patient navigation services improved patient care. Despite increasing enrollment in the OBAT program, the proportion of primary care physicians in the state who enrolled in the program remained limited. Key barriers to enrollment included: requirements for a patient navigator; concerns about administrative burdens and reimbursement delays from Medicaid; lack of awareness of the program; and beliefs that patients with OUD were better served in comprehensive care settings. Patient navigation was highlighted as a critical and valuable element of the program, but navigator enrollment and reimbursement challenges may have prevented greater uptake of this service. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an OBAT model that enhanced reimbursement and provided coverage for patient navigation likely expanded access to MOUD in NJ. Results support initiatives like the OBAT program in improving access to MOUD, but program adaptations, where feasible, could improve uptake and utilization.
PY - 2024
SN - 2949-8767 (Print); 2949-8759
SP - 209212
ST - Implementation of an office-based addiction treatment model for Medicaid enrollees: A mixed methods study
T1 - Implementation of an office-based addiction treatment model for Medicaid enrollees: A mixed methods study
T2 - J Subst Use Addict Treat
TI - Implementation of an office-based addiction treatment model for Medicaid enrollees: A mixed methods study
U1 - Opioids & Substance Use; Financing & Sustainability
U3 - 10.1016/j.josat.2023.209212
VL - 156
VO - 2949-8767 (Print); 2949-8759
Y1 - 2024
ER -