Buprenorphine Prescribing Availability in a Sample of Ohio Specialty Treatment Organizations

Buprenorphine Prescribing Availability in a Sample of Ohio Specialty Treatment Organizations

Buprenorphine, a medication for treating opioid dependence, is underutilized in specialty addiction treatment organizations. Only physicians who have obtained a buprenorphine prescribing license or “waiver” may administer this medication. A limited number of physicians are pursuing this waiver, and a concern in the substance use disorder treatment field is that the shortage of prescribers could be contributing to the low use of buprenorphine at specialty addiction treatment centers. The objective of this study is to assess Ohio specialty treatment organizations’ access to buprenorphine prescribers and the barriers they encounter when seeking new physician prescribing capacity.