What is the future of substance use disorder treatment? Is the growth of telemedicine services during the COVID-19 pandemic here to stay? When it comes to substance use disorder treatment, are telemedicine services and video conference screens here to stay.

In an in-depth article on the MedCity News website, the leading online news source for the business of innovation in healthcare, the future of telemedicine in the context of substance use disorder treatment is the number one focus. Given the huge need for such help nationwide, the use of telemedicine services led to many lives being saved.

After all, the grip of the opioid epidemic did not lessen during the pandemic. In truth, initial data shows that addictive disorders got worse during this time of high stress and fear.

The Need for Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Telemedicine Support

When more than 130 people are dying daily because of opioid overdoses, the opioid epidemic continues to be nothing less than an epidemic. In 2017, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) offers an estimate that 1.7 million people (about twice the population of Delaware) nationally suffered from opioid-related substance abuse disorders. Thus, the need for substance use disorder treatment is massive. With both inner cities and rural communities in the crosshairs, the option of pulling back on substance use disorder treatments services during the COVID-19 crisis is insanity.

With Tarzana Treatment Centers (TTC) as a forerunner in offering medications for addiction treatment (MAT) for opioid-uses disorders, pulling back was and never will be a consideration. Indeed, TTC makes telemedicine support options a new priority to address the challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. In our communities, the need remains great.

Still, as COVID-19 became a reality, like any major institution, TTC faced the challenge of making the transition. However, we were lucky to have history on our side when it came both to innovation and substance use disorder treatment. We already had the mechanism in place.

Tarzana Treatment Centers and Telemedicine for SUD Recovery

Indeed, when the pandemic began in March 2020, TTC had been providing video conference telehealth services for a few years. Although it was mostly internal for certain programs due to regulatory concerns and other limitations, the beginnings of the greater mechanism was in place. TTC also had been providing telehealth and telemedicine services to remote counties in CA for several months at one point. The goal of these services is to assist with underserved adult and youth populations in those areas.

Since we knew that outpatient treatment would be heavily impacted by COVID-19 restrictions and the resulting quarantines, we began training all SUD and mental health (MH) providers at TTC on how to use telehealth services while following HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) regulations. Thus, cameras and headsets were ordered immediately for these staff members.

Indeed, TTC is proud to say that we were able to launch telehealth and telemedicine options company-wide in less than 3 weeks. When everyone stays in their homes, the healthcare providers at Tarzana Treatment Centers are by their side. Through the innovations of telehealth and telemedicine, substance use disorder treatment and mental health support continued without any significant interruption.

Following the Future of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Hence, telemedicine-facilitated recovery programs and substance use disorder treatment remain an organizational focus at TTC. Thankfully, the federal government mostly keeps pace with the new requirements brought about by a pandemic. As MedCity News explains:

“When President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency in 2017, the announcement came with a policy change that allowed doctors to prescribe addiction medication virtually and without an in-person appointment. In theory, the flexibility that the declaration created could be a crucial part of a broad public health measure… It could bring addiction treatment to… struggling patients… multiple studies have reinforced the efficacy of digitally facilitated care. One 2017 study of patients in Maryland found that there was no significant difference in the effectiveness of MAT treatment for face-to-face and telemedicine-provided care.”

Indeed, Tarzana Treatment Centers believes that MAT options are the future of substance use disorder treatment services. However, MAT options and telemedicine now go hand-in-hand. Naturally, inpatient, and face-to-face outpatient services, will continue to be a central focus. However, with the continued use of telemedicine services, substance use disorder treatment options ascend. They embrace the next level of effectiveness and excellence.

Therefore, telemedicine is a substance use disorder treatment approach that can help people recover from addictive disorders. Hence, state and federal legislators need to keep pace with the demand, particularly in relation to MAT treatment options. In the end, bureaucracy cannot be the reason individuals and families in crisis do not receive substance use disorder treatment. The priority must be about saving lives.