Medicare beneficiaries who received virtual care for opioid use disorder (OUD) during the COVID-19 pandemic continued treatment longer and had lower odds of experiencing a medically treated overdose, a new study found.
Researchers tracked 175,778 adults who initiated OUD care before or during the pandemic, when telehealth services were expanded. The team observed a substantial increase in telehealth utilization during the crisis. In addition, Medicare beneficiaries who used