Evaluating Telemedicine-Related Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) Services in Underserved Populations: A Comparison of Waiver and Post-waiver Periods

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This project seeks to identify factors predictive of access to OUD-related telemedicine in Houston’s underserved communities, and the impact of OUD-related telemedicine on treatment initiation and retention. The proposed research recognizes that black and Hispanic communities in Texas are at a triple disadvantage for OUD treatment considering the intersectionality of state-specific access to care barriers, cultural barriers, and the digital divide. To narrow treatment disparity gaps in these communities, it is important to include them in the research process that contributes to the development of a culturally-informed, framework to inform a pilot telemedicine champion program to advocate for, and address barriers to telemedicine use in this population. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design, the proposed work provides a multi-faceted approach to (1) better understand experiences, barriers, and facilitators, with accessing OUD-related telemedicine for treatment initiation and maintenance during waiver vs non-waiver eras, (2) develop a community-informed framework for OUD-related telemedicine, and (3) pilot an OUD-related telemedicine champion program that will serve as a model to raise awareness of, and proactively address disparities in treatment uptake and retention.