Introduction

All nations across the globe are facing the devastating waves of the Covid-19 pandemic. America is among the countries hardest hit by the outbreaks, with more than 600,000 people dead from the virus and its complications. And all this during an ongoing opioid epidemic.

The sublocade treatment doctor say that the stress, isolation, depression, etc., due to the pandemic have taken a toll on the lives of individuals suffering from OUD. And, according to a report by American Medical Association, 40 states have seen a rise in opioid-related deaths since March 2020.

Effective treatment for OUD typically involves MAT (medically assisted treatment) along with counseling and therapy. Both the treatments require patients to meet in person with the providers, increasing the threat of exposure to the virus. Therefore, suboxone doctors near mehave come up with alternatives to counter this issue and one treatment option that has been getting considerable attention is telehealth-based addiction treatment.

Growth of telemedicine

To increase access to OUD treatment, many policies, including the 2018 SUPPORT Act, had expanded allowance for telemedicine for OUD treatment to all the Medicare beneficiaries. However, the sublocade doctors near meinform that relatively few individuals with OUD used telemedicine before the Covid-19 pandemic despite such changes. Among individuals with commercial insurance, telemedicine accounted for only 0.1 percent of all SUD (substance use disorder) visits from 2010 to 2017.

Many factors contributed to such a low utilization rate, including lack of individual access to broadband and technology, inability to afford sublocade cost through private means, reimbursement and regulatory barrier, lack of training among healthcare providers at suboxone clinics, and ongoing requirement for in-person services like laboratory testing.

The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic transformed healthcare delivery for individuals with OUD. In March 2020, many suboxone treatment doctors Providence began using telemedicine to treat OUD as a means to support social distancing and maintain continuity of care. To further this rapid transition, the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Drug Enforcement Agency announced temporary alterations to the reimbursement and regulation of telemedicine for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, an emergency exemption was made to the Ryan Haight Act, allowing healthcare providers to prescribe controlled substances such as buprenorphine via telemedicine.

The medicines prescribed

One treatment for OUD replaces the short-acting opioids such as heroin with long-acting opioids such as methadone or buprenorphine. The suboxone doctors inform that long-acting opioid function in a structured and supportive manner, allowing the individuals to maintain abstinence from short-acting opioids like heroin without developing intense withdrawals.

Healthcare professionals are increasingly relying on buprenorphine (the active ingredient in a sublocade shot). It has been FDA-approved since 2002 to treat OUD. Studies have shown less trafficking of drugs, lower rates of suicide, and fewer overdose deaths in places where buprenorphine is available. Evidence proves that it also helps patients abstain from using opioids for a more sustained period and improve their overall health.

But, as with any other medication, the benefits and risks must be evaluated appropriately.

Buprenorphine can be addictive, which means individuals’ bodies can become dependent on it. If individuals abruptly stop taking the medication, they can go into withdrawal. Sometimes, overdosing on buprenorphine is also possible, especially when consumed with alcohol or other illicit substances. But it has shown to be helpful in the treatment of OUD and maybe a safer alternative to methadone, which has a rate of overdose equal to four times that of buprenorphine.

Buprenorphine and methadone generally require an in-person consultation. But, due to the pandemic, SAMHSA and the DEA stopped requiring in-person evaluations for individuals (existing and new) requiring a buprenorphine prescription, as long as the providers at suboxone treatment clinics Providence feel that they can be evaluated via telehealth. The exemption doesn’t apply to prescribing methadone to new patients, though, for the time being, healthcare providers can prescribe methadone to existing patients via telehealth.

Conclusion

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, telemedicine has gained more attention as a critical and credible treatment method. And, the professionals at the suboxone clinic near mesay that the shift to telehealth for the treatment of OUD is groundbreaking and long overdue.