# REMOTE: tREatMent for Opioid use via TElemedicine

> **NIH NIH R21** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $192,500

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The opioid epidemic is escalating during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. During 2018,
drug overdoses resulted in 67,367 deaths, with almost 70% involving an opioid. Preliminary data from 2019
show a rise of 4.8% in overdoses from 2018 and with the exacerbations of the COVID-19 pandemic, many
states are reporting further increases in opioid-related mortality in 2020. This is likely due to increased social
and economic stressors, as well as to limited treatment access, particularly among our most vulnerable
populations. Opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment has historically been delivered in person, as federal
regulations prohibited prescribing of buprenorphine via telemedicine (e.g., video or telephone) and remote
visits were rarely covered by insurance providers. During the pandemic, many insurers began covering
telemedicine visits and the federal government exercised authority to allow for the comprehensive treatment of
OUD via telemedicine. The option for telemedicine visits could increase OUD treatment accessibility and
engagement, particularly among those living in rural areas or whose resources are limited; however, limited
research exists on the impact of telemedicine on OUD treatment in primary care settings. We leverage this
unprecedented opportunity to study the impact of telemedicine on OUD treatment in primary care settings.
Study clinics include two Family Medicine clinics with established OUD treatment programs. These clinics (one
rural health center and one federally-qualified health center) serve patients that often face barriers to
healthcare access; thus, these are priority populations to study. The aims of this sequential explanatory mixed
methods study are as follows: Aim 1: Use electronic health record data to examine telemedicine versus face-
to-face visits for OUD-related treatment (e.g., diagnosis, visits with medical provider, behavioral health visits,
medication orders, appointment no shows, urine drug screens) before, during, and after implementation of
telemedicine; Aim 2: Conduct semi-structured qualitative interviews to assess how patients and clinical team
members experience OUD treatment that is delivered via telemedicine modalities. We use qualitative data to
further explain the patterns of treatment access and engagement observed in Aim 1 analyses. These findings
will inform best practices for remote OUD treatment delivery, whether for long-term sustainability post-
pandemic or in response to future emergency situations when in-person visits are not possible. Our findings
also lay the foundation for a randomized implementation and effectiveness trial designed to advance access to
treatment of OUD among those most in need. This study is highly responsive to the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA)'s Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) in the utilization of telemedicine to develop and support
treatments for substance use disorder among patients with or at risk of limitations of mobil...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10283155
- **Project number:** 1R21DA054261-01
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Steffani R Bailey
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $192,500
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-15 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10283155

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10283155, REMOTE: tREatMent for Opioid use via TElemedicine (1R21DA054261-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10283155. Licensed CC0.

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