Telemedicine for Opioid Treatment: Expanding Access and Quality
Official title: Telemedicine for Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder
Funded at Harvard Medical School · NIH-11382469 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how telemedicine helps people with opioid use disorder get evidence-based care, using real-world data from Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, and pharmacy claims.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard Medical School NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2019 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $734,565 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA048533-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11382469 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults 21 years and older with opioid use disorder who may be treated by telemedicine services or interact with dispensing pharmacies.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without OUD or those not using or considering telemedicine for OUD may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This grant studies how virtual treatment approaches for opioid use disorder are being used in real-world settings and what outcomes patients experience. It will compare fully virtual clinicians to traditional ones, explore the usefulness of audio-only telemedicine, and examine how pharmacy dispensing of buprenorphine affects patient outcomes. The work will use large national datasets to identify patterns and inform policy and payer decisions to improve access and quality of care. The findings aim to guide clinicians, policymakers, and insurers in optimizing tele-OUD delivery. The project continues to build on prior research showing telemedicine’s growing role in OUD treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could improve access to effective OUD care through telemedicine and inform policies that support high-quality, convenient treatment.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have documented growth and quality issues in tele-OUD; this renewal aims to clarify outcomes and policy impacts in real-world settings.
Where this research is happening
-
Harvard Medical School
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Huskamp, Haiden a — Harvard Medical School
- Study coordinator: Huskamp, Haiden a
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Virtual care for opioid use disorder
This project looks at how virtual (video or phone) treatment and pharmacy dispensing affect access to buprenorphine for adults with opioid use disorder.
-
Systems analysis to improve opioid use disorder care after jail release (SAIA-MOUD)
A program to help people with opioid use disorder get better, faster, and safer care after they leave jail.
-
Precise epigenetic drugs for opioid addiction
A tiny, targeted drug approach is being developed to help people with opioid use disorder by rewriting the epigenetic signals in the brain to reduce cravings and relapse risk.
-
Increasing Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder for Unhoused Montanans
This project helps unhoused people in Montana get life-saving medicines for opioid use disorder through clinics connected to syringe service programs, a nurse-led MOUD model, and peer support.
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Optimizing long-acting PrEP and opioid treatment for people in jails and prisons
This project tests a real-world approach to using long-acting PrEP and buprenorphine for HIV prevention and opioid treatment among incarcerated individuals and after release.
-
Scaling up medications for opioid use disorder in residential treatment programs
This grant studies how to help residential treatment programs provide medications for opioid use disorder to reduce overdoses after discharge, focusing on real-world settings and policies.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.