# OUTREACH: Opioid Use TReatment via telehEAlth in CHCs

> **NIH DA R01** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2026 · $756,337

## Abstract

Improving access to opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment is critical to curb opioid overdose rates in the United States. Alarmingly, only 25% of adults with an OUD receive opioid agonist or antagonist treatment. In March of 2020, telehealth policies were enacted to increase access to OUD treatment, including federal regulatory agencies authorizing remote buprenorphine induction and prescription refills if a patient could be adequately evaluated and monitored via telehealth. Many insurers began reimbursing at the same rate for in-person, video and telephone visits. Prior to telehealth implementation, access and utilization of primary care-based OUD treatment were limited. Expansion of telehealth promoted access to OUD care that might not have been accessible otherwise and has the potential to reach patients with low rates of in-person primary care-based OUD treatment. Conversely, limited access to technology and low digital literacy could hinder the use of telehealth services in some populations (e.g., older adults, those living in rural areas). While telehealth has been shown to be as effective as in-person care in engaging and retaining patients on medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), most studies were conducted within a few years of policy implementation. Significant gaps remain in our knowledge of how these changes have affected rates of and characteristics associated with OUD care as telehealth has evolved within health care settings and become a standard option for care delivery. Moreover, little is known about the patterns of telephone, video and in-person visits for OUD care over time or the multi-level characteristics associated with use of each modality. To date, no studies have comprehensively evaluated the impact of telehealth expansion on OUD care within community health centers (CHCs) which are at the forefront of the opioid epidemic. Our study uses almost a decade of CHC electronic health record (EHR) data (N>3.6 million patients in 35 states) fr

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11362556
- **Project number:** 5R01DA060857-02
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Steffani R Bailey
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** DA
- **Fiscal year:** 2026
- **Award amount:** $756,337
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2025-07-01T00:00:00 → 2030-03-31T00:00:00

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11362556

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11362556, OUTREACH: Opioid Use TReatment via telehEAlth in CHCs (5R01DA060857-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-07-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11362556. Licensed CC0.

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