A Telemedicine Buprenorphine Clinic to Serve New York City: Initial Evaluation of the NYC Public Hospital System’s Initiative to Expand Treatment Access during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article presents results from an intervention to provide medication assisted treatment (MAT) to individuals with opioid use disorder via telemedicine. This article describes outcomes for patients enrolled in the NYC Health+Hospitals Virtual Buprenorphine Clinic during the first nine weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 26, 2020 through May 28, 2020). Results from this evaluation were mixed. Loss-to-follow-up was similar to rates observed in studies of in-person opioid treatment, but the authors note telemedicine-based opioid treatment poses barriers to patients who frequently change mobile phones or phone numbers, and patients with unreliable internet access. The authors also note that the generalizability of this intervention may be limited in settings with different patient populations or staff capacity.