Literature Collection

Find physicians authorized to treat opioid dependency with buprenorphine by state.

OBJECTIVES: Buprenorphine, a medication for opioid use disorder (OUD), is underutilized in general medical settings. Further, it is inequitably received by racialized groups and persons with comorbidities. The Veterans Health Administration launched an initiative to increase buprenorphine receipt in primary care. The project's objective was to identify patient-related factors associated with buprenorphine receipt and retention in primary care clinics (n = 18) participating in the initiative. METHODS: Retrospective cohort quality improvement evaluation of patients 18 years or older with 2 or more primary care visits in a 1-year period and an OUD diagnosis in the year before the first primary care visit (index date). Buprenorphine receipt was the proportion of patients with OUD who received 1 or more buprenorphine prescriptions from primary care providers during the post-index year and retention the proportion who received buprenorphine for 180 days or longer. RESULTS: Of 2880 patients with OUD seen in primary care, 11.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 10.6%-12.9%) received buprenorphine in primary care, 58.2% (95% CI, 52.8%-63.3%) of whom were retained on buprenorphine for 180 days or longer. Patients with alcohol use disorder (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.39; 95% CI, 0.27-0.57), nonopioid drug use disorder (AOR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.45-0.93), and serious mental illness (AOR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.37-0.97) had lower buprenorphine receipt. Those with an anxiety disorder had higher buprenorphine receipt (AOR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.04-1.95). Buprenorphine receipt (AOR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.35-0.87) and 180-day retention (AOR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.19-0.84) were less likely among non-Hispanic Black patients. CONCLUSIONS: Further integration of addiction services in primary care may be needed to enhance buprenorphine receipt for patients with comorbid substance use disorders, and interventions are needed to address disparities in receipt and retention among non-Hispanic Black patients.

BACKGROUND: Opioid misuse and dependence are prevalent and rising problems in the United States. Treatment with buprenorphine is a successful treatment option for individuals with opioid dependence. This study describes and preliminarily evaluates a unique delivery system that provides buprenorphine treatment via a shared medical appointment. METHODS: A retrospective medical record review on all 77 opioid-dependent patients referred for a buprenorphine shared medical appointment in a homeless clinic from 2010 to 2012. RESULTS: Most patients were currently homeless (61%), unemployed (92%), had an Axis I psychiatric diagnosis (81%), and had recent polysubstance use (53%). Of the 77 patients, 95% attended at least 1 shared medical appointment. Treatment retention at 12 and 24 weeks was 86% and 70%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In a patient population with complex social and mental health histories, buprenorphine treatment via a shared medical appointment had high retention rates. Findings can help guide the development of unique delivery systems to serve real-world complex patients with opioid dependence.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was expected to benefit patients with substance use disorders, including opioid use disorders (OUDs). This study examined buprenorphine use and health services utilization by patients with OUDs pre- and post-ACA in a large health care system. Using electronic health record data, we examined demographic and clinical characteristics (substance use, psychiatric and medical conditions) of two patient cohorts using buprenorphine: those newly enrolled in 2012 ("pre-ACA," N = 204) and in 2014 ("post-ACA," N = 258). Logistic and negative binomial regressions were used to model persistent buprenorphine use, and to examine whether persistent use was related to health services utilization. Buprenorphine patients were largely similar pre- and post-ACA, although more post-ACA patients had a marijuana use disorder (p < .01). Post-ACA patients were more likely to have high-deductible benefit plans (p < .01). Use of psychiatry services was lower post-ACA (IRR: 0.56, p < .01), and high-deductible plans were also related to lower use of psychiatry services (IRR: 0.30, p < .01). The relationship between marijuana use disorder and prescription opioid use is complex, and deserves further study, particularly with increasingly widespread marijuana legalization. Access to psychiatry services may be more challenging for buprenorphine patients post-ACA, especially for patients with deductible plans.

Substantial increases in opioid-related morbidity and mortality have motivated the implementation of federal policies to expand the buprenorphine prescribing capacity of primary care providers and other clinicians. Using a national prescription database that covered 72-92 percent of the US population during 2010-18, we analyzed trends in buprenorphine treatment by prescriber specialty. Buprenorphine treatment rates by primary care providers increased from 12.9 people per 10,000 population in 2010 to 27.4 in 2018. The numbers for psychiatrists and addiction medicine specialists increased from 8.7 to 12.0 per 10,000 and those for other prescribers from 5.8 to 16.3 per 10,000. However, treatment of people ages 15-24 by primary care providers and by psychiatrists and addiction medicine specialists declined significantly. Across all patient age and provider groups, most patients were not retained on buprenorphine for the benchmark period of at least 180 days. Despite a recent national increase in buprenorphine treatment fueled primarily by nonspecialists, challenges persist with buprenorphine access-especially for younger people-and with retaining patients in long-term treatment.