Study Shows That Females, Hispanics, and Non-Hispanic Blacks Were Less Likely to Have Access to Medication for Treating Opioid Addiction and Dependence

Disparities in the healthcare system is one of the biggest challenges that today’s healthcare leaders are attempting to solve. There has been several studies shedding light on this aspect of healthcare. For instance, studies have shown that during the peak of the pandemic, COVID-19 related deaths among the Black and Hispanic Americans were notably higher compared to other racial groups in the United States. In this article, we look into healthcare disparities in treatment access for Opioid addiction.

Disparities in access to Opioid Addiction Treatment

As the opioid epidemic continues to rage on in this country, the drug buprenorphine remains one of the most effective tools for treating opioid addiction and dependence. Buprenorphine works by binding to the opioid receptors in the brain. In addition to providing a reduced effect in the brain that can help those with opioid addiction to wean off of their drug dependency, buprenorphine also blocks any subsequently administered opioids from having any effect at all. This enables buprenorphine to help further eliminate the desire to break sobriety in someone who is recovering from opioid addiction.

However, unfortunately this potentially life-saving drug is not nearly as accessible to all as it should be. According to a research from the Mayo Clinic that was published in JAMA Network Open, female, Black, and Hispanic Americans were less likely to have access to buprenorphine compared to other demographics, thereby highlighting another unfortunate reality of racial and gender disparity in healthcare.

Using the OptumLabs Data Warehouse, researchers at the Mayo Clinic were able to examine 3,110 filled prescriptions of buprenorphine from the years 2014-2020. While the study found that access to the drug increased over this period of time for all demographics, it also found that buprenorphine was prescribed at a consistently lower rate to Black, Hispanic, and female patients.

Molly Jeffery, the scientific director for Mayo Clinic’s Division of Emergency Medicine Research and the study’s senior author, said, “The persistence of the disparities is frustrating. This is a truly lifesaving treatment. But it does appear that all groups are gaining access over time, which is what we want to see.”

As for solutions to these disparities, Dr. Jeffery points to eliminating laws that limit access to buprenorphine and the stigma surrounding the drug is an important place to start. As a partial opioid agonist, buprenorphine presents the potential for abuse and addiction – certainly not to the same degree as full opioid agonists such as heroin and fentanyl, but the risks are there nonetheless. However, Dr. Jeffery and most medical experts agree that the benefits that buprenorphine provides to patients recovering from opioid addiction far outweigh these risks.

“We know exactly what to do to close the gap,” Dr. Jeffery says. “Get more health care providers, particularly primary care providers, involved in prescribing buprenorphine. Mayo Clinic recognizes the importance of primary care access to buprenorphine, and our clinicians are addressing the disparity gap by prescribing buprenorphine whenever appropriate and providing it through a primary care program and an addiction clinic.”

Bikham Healthcare’s Efforts to Combat Healthcare Inequality

In the mission for a healthier, safer country, finding solutions to the persistent problems created by healthcare inequality is a key objective. At Bikham Healthcare, combating healthcare disparities is something that we prioritize. Along with raising awareness about the impact of unequal access to healthcare services, we strive to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for all by providing physicians around the country with the services they need to reduce healthcare expenses and provide patients with the best possible care. If you would like to learn more about how Bikham Healthcare’s industry-leading RCM, provider credentialing, and provider enrollment services can help you provide more affordable and equitable care to your patients, be sure to contact us today.

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