Federal regulations that allowed virtual or telehealth care during COVID-19 for opioid addiction are likely to end soon, raising questions about how people struggling with substance abuse can continue to receive medications and services online. The rules allowed practitioners to prescribe life-saving medications—such as the withdrawal drug buprenorphine—without in-person visits that are normally required to get a prescription. Patients could seek care through their phones, computers, or tablets, which are faster, easier, and more private than going to a doctor’s office or clinic. But these regulations are set to expire as early as October. Public health officials fear therefore they may lose one of the most valuable tools to fight addiction—at a time when overdoses are soaring to record levels and such services are needed more than ever. The Drug Enforcement Agency is clamping down on access to buprenorphine due to misuse, although the drug is a critical component of medication-assisted drug treatment (MAT). Only about 10 percent of individuals with opioid use disorder receive MAT, due in part to barriers to access and the scarcity of doctors who can prescribe it. Although telehealth is not a panacea for the addiction and overdose crisis, the availability of such options during COVID was a positive experience, providers, and patients say, and offers a unique opportunity to expand services to those in need, especially in rural areas where services are hard to find and get to. While companies providing solely telehealth for addiction have expanded since COVID, so too has the number of traditional in-person treatment providers who offer both types—a model that has proven critical to expanding access to services.
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number
Rosenthal Center for AddictIon Studies