No abstract

Objective: To determine retention in care for opioid use disorder when treated solely via telehealth with a harm reduction, low-threshold model. Methods: Retrospective cohort analysis of aggregated, anonymized data from 991 patients in telehealth-based buprenorphine treatment. The cohort consisted of patients with commercial or governmental insurance who enrolled between May 17, 2019 andSeptember 28, 2021. Analysis was extended to a maximum of one year for each patient. Results: At one year, retention in care was 55% overall. When analyzed separately, retention at one year was 62% for patients with commercial insurance and 53% for those with governmental insurance. Conclusions: Telehealth-based treatment of opioid use disorder can achieve retention in care for patients—with governmental or commercial insurance—that is superior to inperson treatment as usual. Policy implications: Telehealth for opioid use disorder can be effective for patients over a range of incomes. Regulatory action allowing telehealth-only care

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