Virtual care for opioid use disorder
Official title: Telemedicine for Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder
Funded at Harvard Medical School · NIH-11173855 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how virtual (video or phone) treatment and pharmacy dispensing affect access to buprenorphine for adults with opioid use disorder.
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 | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $748,958 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA048533-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11173855 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with opioid use disorder, especially those receiving care covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or commercial insurance, are the most relevant group.
✕Less likely to help
People under 21, the uninsured, or patients whose prescriptions aren't captured in the national pharmacy data may not be represented or benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
If I have opioid use disorder, this project uses national insurance and pharmacy records to see how people get care by video, phone, or in person. The team will compare patients treated by clinicians who provide fully virtual care with those treated by other clinicians and will study whether audio-only (phone) visits work as well as video. They will also track how many pharmacies dispense buprenorphine and whether pharmacy decisions affect patient outcomes. The work draws on Medicare, Medicaid, commercial claims, and national pharmacy data to analyze large numbers of real-world patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make it easier to access buprenorphine via telehealth and help shape policies that expand safe treatment options.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work from this team and others, including 24 published papers from the first funding period, has documented tele‑OUD growth and quality questions, and this renewal builds on that evidence while addressing remaining gaps.
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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Telemedicine for Opioid Treatment: Expanding Access and Quality
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.
-
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.
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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.
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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.