AHRQ-Funded Study Finds Buprenorphine Education Improves Adoption of MAT for OUD in Rural Primary Care Practices

In a new study published in the Annals of Family Medicine, researchers at the University of Colorado, Denver describe the impact of the Implementing Technology and Medication Assisted Treatment Team Training in Rural Colorado (IT MATTTRs) program on the use of buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment in primary care practices.

IT MATTTRs aims to increase the implementation of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for OUD in rural primary care practices. The program provides:

• Evidence-based community intervention materials
• Drug Enforcement Administration required buprenorphine waiver training
• Practice team training on OUD, buprenorphine, the neurobiology of addiction, and detailed treatment steps

Forty-two primary care practices in rural Colorado participated in IT MATTTRs. Completion of IT MATTTRs was associated with increases in buprenorphine prescriptions and referrals for treatment.

IT MATTTRs is one of five implementation studies funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Increasing Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment of Opioid Abuse in Rural Primary Care Practices grant initiative. The AHRQ Integration Academy and AHRQ National Integration Academy Council (NIAC) provide technical assistance to these AHRQ grantees and support the dissemination of their findings and resources.

For more information see:

• AHRQ Integration Academy - Primary Care Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Grantees