One result of the sweeping regulatory changes during the Covid-19 pandemic is that more health care providers were able to offer telehealth treatment for compound usage conditions. Now, stakeholders are enjoying closely to see if those changes will continue after the general public health emergency situation ends.
As clients come to grips with substance use throughout the pandemic, lots of centers offering treatment programs closed. A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation last July found that 12% of adults said they had actually increased alcohol intake or compound use. More just recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approximated more than 92,700 individuals died of drug overdoses during the 12 months ending in November 2020, the greatest quantity ever given that it began counting 6 years ago..
Treatment for opioid use disorder can involve counseling and medication-assisted treatment, such as using naltrexone, buprenorphine or methadone to reduce cravings and withdrawal effects. These compounds are controlled by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and before the pandemic, could not be recommended over telehealth without an in-person assessment, leaving some clients to drive fars away for care.
Given that then, more centers have actually been taking a hybrid technique, combining both in-person and virtual services. For example, a doctor may perform an initial assessment and prescribe medication through telehealth, with local clinicians providing in-person counseling and follow-up.
A host of new companies are also making a bet that this design will stay. For instance, Bicycle Health, a startup that provides medication-assisted treatment through telehealth, is wagering that the regulative changes will continue after raising $27 million in moneying to grow its company. The business provides patients access to Suboxone, tele-therapy and support system either covered by insurance coverage or for a month-to-month membership cost.
Bicycle Health began accepting clients in 2019, seeing about 100 clients at a single center in Redwood City, Calif. But with the regulatory changes throughout the pandemic, the startup had the ability to alter the model rapidly, serving more patients across the state of California.
” We simply got overwhelmed with need,” Bicycle CEO Ankit Gupta said in a phone interview. “Thats where we saw theres a requirement, where we can actually raise funding, grow quickly, and see clients not just in one state however in fact nationwide.”.
Now, the business has actually seen about 6,000 clients spanning 21 states.
” These things that were doing exist but the access space is rather huge. Thats when we decided to start Bicycle Health because the stigma of addiction was a huge barrier for patients to get into treatment,” he said. “The physical barriers to accessing treatment make telehealth an excellent modality.”.
In particular, Gupta is viewing 2 pieces of legislation that would impact the capability to continue to offer medication-assisted treatment through telehealth. The very first, the Telehealth Response for E-prescribing Addiction Therapy Services Act, was presented in the House and Senate in March after failing to pass last year. It would permit health care providers to recommend certain illegal drugs over telehealth as part of medication-assisted treatment therapy programs, without needing an in-person exam.
Another similar expense, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, was introduced in December of last year. The Biden Administration has actually likewise detailed this as a policy top priority.
Others are viewing the Department of Health and Human Services after it announced in January that it would get rid of particular X-waiver requirements that would make buprenorphine easier to prescribe..
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which runs under HHS, and other agencies, “… have a great interest in keeping those pandemic versatilities that positively effect clients, treatment rates, access, and fulfillment,” composed Dr. Robert Baillieu, senior medical and practice advisor for SAMHSAs Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. “The evidence informs us that telehealth works across the continuum of care for serious mental disorder and substance use conditions, consisting of screening and evaluation, treatment, medication management, behavioral treatments, case management, healing supports, and crisis services. Appropriately, the Department of Health and Human Services continues to assess telehealth and the legal mechanisms that may enable it to continue in a equitable and safe manner.”.
Image credit: Moussa81, Getty Images.

Bike Health, a start-up that provides medication-assisted treatment through telehealth, is betting that the regulative changes will continue after raising $27 million in moneying to grow its organization. In particular, Gupta is enjoying 2 pieces of legislation that would impact the capability to continue to offer medication-assisted treatment through telehealth. It would enable health care service providers to recommend certain controlled substances over telehealth as part of medication-assisted treatment therapy programs, without needing an in-person exam.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which operates under HHS, and other agencies, “… have a terrific interest in preserving those pandemic versatilities that favorably impact patients, treatment rates, gain access to, and satisfaction,” wrote Dr. Robert Baillieu, senior medical and practice consultant for SAMHSAs Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. “The evidence tells us that telehealth is reliable throughout the continuum of care for severe mental disease and substance use disorders, consisting of screening and evaluation, treatment, medication management, behavioral therapies, case management, healing supports, and crisis services.