Literature Collection

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.

OBJECTIVES: This study is a follow-up to previous research regarding buprenorphine medication-assisted therapy (MAT) in Johnson City, Tennessee. For-profit MAT clinics were surveyed to determine changes in tapering practice patterns and insurance coverage during the last 3 years. METHODS: Johnson City for-profit MAT clinics; also called office based opioid treatment centers, were surveyed by telephone. Clinic representatives were asked questions regarding patient costs for therapy, insurance coverage, counseling offered onsite, and opportunities for tapering while pregnant. RESULTS: All of the MAT clinics representatives indicated that tapering in pregnancy could be considered even though tapering in pregnancy is contrary to current national guidelines. Forty-three percent of the clinics now accept insurance as compared with 0% in the 2016 study. The average weekly cost per visit remained consistent. CONCLUSIONS: The concept of tapering buprenorphine during pregnancy appears to have become a standard of care for this community, as representatives state it is offered at all of the clinics that were contacted. Representatives from three clinics stated the clinics require tapering, even though national organizations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Society of Addiction Medicine do not recommend this approach. Although patients who have government or other insurance are now able to obtain buprenorphine with no expense at numerous clinics, the high cost for uninsured patients continues to create an environment conducive to buprenorphine diversion.

BACKGROUND: Electronic health record (EHR) transitions can cause major disruptions in the provision of primary care services. Veteran Health Administration (VHA), one of the largest integrated healthcare systems, underwent a major EHR transition at two sites. To date, there is limited data on the experience of primary care service lines at EHR transition sites. OBJECTIVE: To describe and quantify changes in the provision of primary care services at two sites that have experienced EHR transition. DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective study of primary care encounters 12 months before and after EHR transition. In addition, we applied economic structural change analysis using the expanded length of time (10 years of prior primary care encounters at sites) to understand how the transition of EHR compares to other major changes in primary care encounter volume during this time period. DATA SOURCE AND MAIN MEASURE: Primary care encounters were measured using algorithms pre- and post-EHR transition from the national VHA Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) and Cerner Millennium (CDW2) Databases. KEY RESULTS: In Spokane, the average number of monthly primary care encounters decreased from 7155 (SD = 682) in the 12 months prior to October 2020 (transition date) to 4181 (SD = 813) in the 12 months after implementation, a decrease of 41.6 %. The average number of monthly primary care encounters decreased from 8029 (SD = 511) in the 12 months prior to April 2022 (transition date) to 6495 (SD = 1152) in the 12 months after implementation, a decrease of 19.1 %. The structural change analysis identified EHR transition dates at both sites, including a major decrease in volume of primary care encounters. CONCLUSIONS: Given the substantial decrease in primary care services, VHA must identify strategies to mitigate both the amount and the duration of reduced primary care encounters during the EHR transition.