Collaborative, patient-centred care model that provides tech-enabled treatment of opioid use disorder via telehealth

Abstract

What are the new findings? This novel clinical model of collaborative, integrated medical and behavioural healthcare that delivers biopsychosocial treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) via telehealth termed the Bicycle Health model is an effective way to reach previously unengaged and unreached patients, as evidenced by 31% of Bicycle Health patients reporting no previous history of buprenorphine treatment. The three primary pillars to accomplish this goal include the following: patient-centred care, including chronic disease management and behavioural health; creation of tech-enabled systems and resources; and data-driven decision-making. The pharmacy finder tool enhances patient-centred care by enabling programme staff to identify pharmacies that are geographically near to the patient, tend to maintain buprenorphine in stock, and do not have a history of stigmatising or declining service to patients receiving tele-OUD treatment; this is evidenced by the ability of clinical support staff to successfully find medication in stock at a pharmacy convenient to the patient 75% of the time, compared with 40% prior to development of the pharmacy finder tool. Observable patterns demonstrate that retention rates in this novel model of biopsychosocial treatment of OUD via telehealth at 1 month and 3 months are appreciably higher than the industry average, as well as no-show rates that are significantly lower than industry average. How might it impact on healthcare in the future? Results that demonstrate appreciably higher retention rates and lower no-show rates in a telehealth model of OUD treatment have far-reaching implications for access to care; this model may be replicated and adapted to increase access to OUD treatment, thereby curbing opioid morbidity and mortality.