Remote Monitoring Could Enable More People with Methadone Prescriptions to Take it at Home.

This article was originally published in Politico.

People receiving methadone for opioid use disorder must often visit a clinic every day to ensure the drug isn’t diverted into the illicit market. It’s a hassle that many addiction specialists believe keeps people from the care they need.

Now some providers are experimenting with remote monitoring to reduce patients’ burden. Instead of coming into a clinic, they’re allowed to take home a few doses and send a recording to prove they took them as directed.

“Sonara, by offering remote observation of take-home methadone, creates this layer of supervision to what was previously unsupervised, and that is able to build trust between the provider and the patient,” said Sheeba Ibidunni, vice president of Sonara Health, one of the companies experimenting with the new protocol.

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