In a recent study, Research & Planning Consultants (RPC) calculated the population in the United States with reasonable geographic access to an opioid treatment program (OTP). RPC found that 87.2% of the adult population in the United States has reasonable geographic access to OTPs.
MOTAA supporters assert that access to methadone-assisted treatment would dramatically improve if addiction medicine specialists were permitted to prescribe the medication. However, many addiction medicine specialists often fail to provide services to two key demographics, Medicaid beneficiaries and the uninsured. 74% of low-income non-elderly opioid use disorder (OUD) patients are uninsured or on Medicaid1 — in contrast, only 38% of addiction medicine physicians accept Medicaid.2 Analysis shows that MOTAA would increase access by only 85 qualifying physicians (those registered as an addiction medicine physician pursuant to the National Provider Identifier Standard (NPI), accept Medicaid, and are located outside of an existing OTP access area).2
Access to evidence-based OTP treatment should be improved. But Congress should ask — is it worth the risk of destabilizing the most effective and evidence-based model of care in the country for a solution that could increase the methadone diversion in communities? We have a responsibility to reassess access and safety after the industry adapts to the new SAMSHA rule (effective April 1), which permanently removed restrictions on telehealth and take-home medications for OTPs.
Read the study below:
- Orgera, K., & Tolbert, J. (2019, July 15). The opioid epidemic and Medicaid’s role in facilitating access to treatment | KFF. KFF. https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/the-opioid-epidemic-and-medicaids-role-in-facilitating-access-to-treatment/
- Research and Planning Consultants, LP. (2024). Opioid Treatment Program and Addiction Medicine Physician Maps and Analysis.