Patient Retention in a Substance Use Disorder Telemedicine Clinic.

OBJECTIVES: Although research has continued to show that substance use disorders (SUDs) can be treated effectively with evidence-based treatment, there continues to be gaps in access, and utilization remains low. Alternative SUD treatment methods, including telemedicine, are increasingly being explored to reach patients where traditional in-person treatment approaches are inaccessible. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore SUD treatment retention, specifically comparing telemedicine-delivered opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment with a traditional in-person treatment delivery approach. METHODS: Patients at Cahaba Medical Care, an FQHC in Birmingham, AL with a diagnosis of OUD and undergoing buprenorphine/naloxone or buprenorphine treatment were categorized into two groups: treatment and control. The dependent variable, retention to SUD treatment, was assessed at four different time periods over 12 months to determine patient SUD consultation appointment attendance. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the relationship between SUD treatment retention and delivery mode. Correlations were obtained to assess associations between frequency of urine drug screens performed and SUD treatment retention. RESULTS: As the number of the urine drug screens patients received increased by 1, the number of SUD treatment program consultations patients attended increased by 0.69 (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in SUD treatment retention between traditional in-person and telemedicine delivered approaches, however. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that a telemedicine-delivered treatment program equals retention effectiveness when compared with in-person delivery. This suggests that leveraging telemedicine to treat patients with SUD could be an effective alternative for those unable to access treatment or who are less likely to attend or complete traditional in-person treatment sessions.

Increased Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Detection in Women of Childbearing Age and Potential Risk for Vertical Transmission - United States and Kentucky, 2011-2014.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality (1). Transmission of HCV is primarily via parenteral blood exposure, and HCV can be transmitted vertically from mother to child. Vertical transmission occurs in 5.8% (95% confidence interval = 4.2%-7.8%) of infants born to women who are infected only with HCV and in up to twice as many infants born to women who are also infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (2) or who have high HCV viral loads (3,4); there is currently no recommended intervention to prevent transmission of infection from mother to child (3). Increased reported incidence of HCV infection among persons aged ≤30 years (5,6) with similar increases among women and men in this age group (6), raises concern about increases in the number of pregnant women with HCV infection, and in the number of infants who could be exposed to HCV at birth. Data from one large commercial laboratory and birth certificate data were used to investigate trends in HCV detection among women of childbearing age,* HCV testing among children aged ≤2 years, and the proportions of infants born to HCV-infected women nationally and in Kentucky, the state with the highest incidence of acute HCV infection during 2011-2014 (6). During 2011-2014, commercial laboratory data indicated that national rates of HCV detection (antibody or RNA positivity(†)) among women of childbearing age increased 22%, and HCV testing (antibody or RNA) among children aged ≤2 years increased 14%; birth certificate data indicated that the proportion of infants born to HCV-infected mothers increased 68%, from 0.19% to 0.32%. During the same time in Kentucky, the HCV detection rate among women of childbearing age increased >200%, HCV testing among children aged ≤2 years increased 151%, and the proportion of infants born to HCV-infected women increased 124%, from 0.71% to 1.59%. Increases in the rate of HCV detection among women of childbearing age suggest a potential risk for vertical transmission of HCV. These findings highlight the importance of following current CDC recommendations to identify, counsel, and test persons at risk for HCV infection (1,7), including pregnant women, as well as consider developing public health policies for routine HCV testing of pregnant women, and expanding current policies for testing and monitoring children born to HCV-infected women. Expansion of HCV reporting and surveillance requirements will enhance case identification and prevention strategies.

Substance Use Telemedicine Retention and Outcomes.

Evidence-based SUD treatments are available, yet utilization remains low demonstrating the need to utilize alternative treatment delivery methods. We assess the effectiveness of an SUD treatment program delivered via telemedicine and in-person mode over 12 months. 40% of the intervention group remained engaged and 46% remained opioid free.