The Future of Opioid Treatment: Embracing Hybrid Care Models
Healthcare was forced to drastically shift as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the efficacy of virtual and hybrid healthcare despite telehealth's existence for decades before the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the pandemic, SAMHSA found that take-home methadone flexibilities in particular could increase engagement and improve patient satisfaction, with few incidents of misuse or medication diversion. At the same time, take-home doses present a challenge for OTPs who want to maintain open lines of communication with patients and ensure patients remain engaged with their treatment. Providers also have concerns that increasing take-home medication will lead to unidentified instances of misuse or diversion, even if they are a smaller percentage of the total population.
A hybrid care model that combines in-person visits with telehealth can provide the flexibility and accessibility patients need, while still allowing for regular patient-provider interactions.
This article will explore three key benefits of adopting a hybrid care model for OTPs and their patients.
Reduce Barriers to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
For many patients, daily, in-person visits to OTPs present significant challenges, and in some cases, barriers to long-term treatment success. Major roadblocks include:
Travel: Patients need to travel to and from the clinic. This is particularly burdensome for those living in rural areas or lacking reliable transportation.
Scheduling: Scheduling difficulties are very common, especially for patients trying to juggle multiple jobs or care for young children.
Clinic Hours: Daily hours of operation for OTPs are limited, with most clinics only open from 5 am- 2 pm, further complicating access to care.
According to SAMHSA,
“Most people who could benefit from treatment do not receive it due to systemic barriers and access issues which are even greater for historically underserved communities. Low barrier care is a model for treatment that seeks to minimize the demands placed on clients and makes services readily available and easily accessible.”
A low barrier care model centers around making treatment more accessible by addressing these patient challenges. Embracing hybrid care is a practical, impactful way to practice these principles. Instead of traveling to the clinic daily, for example, patients can receive the same level of care at home or at work by making use of telehealth services.
Minimize Risks While Issuing Take-Home Methadone
From the more than 200,000 doses recorded on the Sonara® platform, we’ve found that ~85% of take-home methadone doses are taken as prescribed. However, without a way to monitor patients’ at-home doses, OTPs struggle to identify those patients who are not using methadone as prescribed and need a higher level of care and supervision.
Some OTPs have questioned the need for remote dosing tools like Sonara since they can legally prescribe two weeks of take-homes after two weeks of treatment. However, this blanket statement overlooks the importance of informed clinical decision-making, personalized care, and the benefit of observed dosing - up to a point. Just because a patient is eligible for take-homes doesn’t mean unsupervised take-homes are safe and appropriate for every patient.
Hybrid care is the best of both worlds for OTPs and their patients, increasing flexibility without increasing risks to patients or their communities. Plus, if OTPs determine that additional support is necessary, it’s easy to transition patients back to more frequent, in-person visits with the same care team.
Maintain Patient Engagement Throughout the Course of Treatment
As patients progress through treatment, it’s not uncommon for them to become less connected to their providers. For instance, if an individual qualifies for 28 take-home doses, they may only interact with their provider once a month - to pick up their take-homes and attend counseling. Hybrid care addresses this issue by allowing for more consistent interactions between patients and their care teams, even when using take-home methadone.
Whether the interaction is through direct messaging, remote counseling, or recording take-home doses on Sonara’s platform, hybrid care allows for more patient-provider connection. This approach helps patients feel more comfortable reaching out with questions or concerns while giving providers more visibility into a patient’s recovery journey.
All in all, this offers more opportunities to personalize and adjust the care plan as needed. Additionally, this can also improve overall attraction and retention for OTPs, as new patients are drawn to a model that adapts to their needs over time.
If you’re ready to take the next step toward making methadone treatment more accessible to patients, our team at Sonara can provide the tool you need to issue take-home doses with confidence. Contact us today to learn how we can partner together.
