Mobile Opioid Treatment Units Enhance Methadone Availability in Rural Areas

Mobile opioid treatment program units increase access to methadone for opioid use disorder and are the most impactful in rural areas, according to a study published in Health Services Research.

Investigators used Louisiana Medicaid claims data (2020-2021) to develop a model assessing the potential impact of mobile methadone units on medication-assisted treatment utilization for opioid use disorder in Louisiana.

“Several interconnected factors play a role in the prevalence of opioid use disorders in rural areas and this includes limited access to health care services, which is why we wanted to compare this data to help with decision-making when allocating resources to combat this public health crisis,” said Jason Gibbons, PhD, Department of Health Systems, Management & Policy, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, CO.

According to the researchers, the addition of 10 mobile units in Louisiana could increase the net medication rate for opioid use disorder treatment in the state by 0.54 to 2.39 percentage points. The use of these mobile units could also lead to an increase in rural medication for opioid use disorder treatment by 8.54 to 13.67 percentage points if methadone is exclusively delivered to rural areas. Furthermore, the mobile units could help people living in rural areas by bringing methadone treatment providers closer to them. This would allow approximately 20% of all beneficiaries living in rural areas to be an average of 24 miles closer to a methadone treatment provider.

“We find significant geographic variation in the impact of mobile methadone implementation, which means careful location planning will be required to maximize their benefit in other communities,” said Dr Gibbons.

References

Gibbons JB, Li W, Stuart EA, Saloner B. Simulated impact of mobile opioid treatment program units on increasing access to methadone for opioid use disorder. Health Serv Res. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.14271

New research shows mobile methadone units are most impactful in rural areas. News release. EurekAlert!. Published January 9, 2024. Accessed January 10, 2024. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1030614