“State policies can influence the number of physicians licensed to prescribe buprenorphine, a drug that can treat addiction to heroin and other opioids in outpatient settings, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
Studying county-level numbers of physicians approved to prescribe buprenorphine, the study found a significant link between the number of approved physicians and both specific state guidance regarding the use of buprenorphine and the distribution of clinical guidelines for buprenorphine treatment. The findings are published online by the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.
“State officials who are concerned about increasing opportunities for people to receive treatment for addiction to heroin and other opioids should know that there are policies they can adopt that appear to help increase access to these services,” said Dr. Bradley D. Stein, the study’s lead author, a practicing psychiatrist and a senior scientist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization.”
http://www.rand.org/news/press/2014/10/07.html
Related article available at: http://www.behavioral.net/article/buprenorphine-use-remains-hit-or-miss
Source: Rand.org – October 7, 2014