Covid presented an array of many problems and concerns. One of those concerns was that social isolation and decreased treatment access from COVID-19 would lead to increased drug overdoses. The increased number of drug overdoses was a significant public health concern before and leading into Covid. A way to combat this concern was to start telehealth appointments. This article studies how state policies permit both audio-only and audiovisual telehealth for Substance Use Disorder Treatment (SUDT) compared to those that do not offer telehealth services, and how that influences facilities’ self-reporting of providing any form of SUDT service.
This study used annual data collected from April 23, 2019, through 2022. The Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Tracking Repository (MATTR) gathered daily updates from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Behavioral Health treatment. The focus of this study was on outpatient settings that offered SUDT services. Facilities were given options and asked to pick what clinical/therapeutic approach best described what was used in their facility. Telehealth services included individual and group treatments, including medication management, counseling, psychotherapy, and case management.
The findings show that state telehealth policies may be associated with a significant influence on the proportion of SUDT facilities that offer telehealth. Areas of the country with less broadband access were found to be more likely to introduce telehealth with audio only. Most rural counties lacked the broadband infrastructure to allow for video-based telehealth. Overall, throughout this study, the number of facilities that offered telehealth increased from 18% in 2019 to 79% in 2022. Throughout this time, there were slight increases in acceptance of telehealth services amongst insurance companies, and acceptance of Medicare increased dramatically. This study shows how big of an impact state policy have on medical treatment such as Substance Use Disorder Treatment.
Takeaway: State telehealth policies may be associated with a significant influence on the proportion of SUDT facilities that offer telehealth. This study shows how big of an impact states policies have on medical treatment.