Low-barrier buprenorphine during the COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid transition to on-demand telemedicine with wide-ranging effects.

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
Bradley M BuchheitJessica Gregg

Abstract

Low barrier addiction clinics increase access to medications to treat substance use disorders, while emphasizing harm reduction. The Harm Reduction and BRidges to Care (HRBR) Clinic is an on demand, low barrier addiction clinic that opened in October 2019. In the first three months of operation (November through January 2020), HRBR saw steadily increasing numbers of patients. Oregon saw its first case of novel coronavirus in February, and declared a state of emergency and enacted a formal "Stay at Home" order in March. That same month, the DEA announced that patients could be initiated on buprenorphine through telemedicine visits without an in-person exam. Within a week of being granted the ability to see patients virtually, HRBR had transitioned to over 90% virtual visits, while still allowing patients without technology to access in-person care. Within four weeks, the clinic expanded hours significantly, established workflows with community harm reduction partners, and was caring for patients in rural areas of the state. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the HRBR clinic was able to quickly transition from in-person to almost completely virtual visits within a week. This rapid pivot to telemedicine significantly increased ac...Continue Reading

References

Oct 1, 2019·Journal of Addiction Medicine·Andrea Jakubowski, Aaron Fox

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