BIPOC Provider Expands Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment Via Virtual Care

April 14, 2023 - ReKlame Health, a behavioral healthcare provider focusing on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, launched a new alcohol use disorder (AUD) program supported by virtual care.

Delivered as part of a mental health treatment plan, the program will provide BIPOC communities in New York City at-home access to a medication that treats AUD alongside telepsychiatry appointments. The medication, Naltrexone LAI, blocks brain receptors to eliminate the desire and cravings associated with consuming opioids and alcohol.

Through the program, the patient can receive an assessment during a telepsychiatry appointment with a ReKlame care provider. Once the provider has evaluated the patient's medication tolerance, they can send a registered nurse to the patient's home to administer the monthly Naltrexone LAI injection. The same nurse then visits the patient every month to administer the shot, observe the patient, and report results to the psychiatric provider.

"Engagement is critical when treating substance use disorders," said Evans Rochaste, founder and CEO of ReKlame Health, in the press release. "By having this collaborative hybrid model, we're able to have quicker touch-points with the patient, increased patient engagement, and vital increased patient retention."

The prevalence of behavioral health conditions soared during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, alcohol consumption increased, with a May 2020 survey showing that about 34 percent of 832 US adults reported binge drinking, and 7 percent reported extreme binge drinking.

AUD-related deaths also skyrocketed. A study published in JAMA Network Open in May revealed that these deaths increased by 24.7 percent in 2020 and 21.9 percent in 2021 versus the projected rates. Not only that, but AUD-related deaths also rose among all ages and sexes during the pandemic.

Further, research shows that higher-frequency alcohol use increased among young adult racial/ethnic minorities in spring 2020 compared to the same period the year prior.

If the AUD program is successful in New York City, ReKlame Health will launch it in other locations. ReKlame is in-network with numerous major plans, including United Healthcare, Cigna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Some research shows that telehealth use can expand access to substance use disorder treatment.

Published last July, a study from the University of Michigan and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System found that audio and video-based care modalities provide various benefits, such as increased access to buprenorphine, a medication to treat opioid use disorder (OUD).

The researchers examined access to buprenorphine treatment for OUD in the Veterans Health Administration the year before the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2019 to February 2020) and the first year of the pandemic (March 2020 to February 2021).

They found that telehealth has been just as effective, if not more effective, as in-person care in providing access to OUD treatment resources.

But other research reveals less promising results of telehealth use for OUD. A recent study found that clinical outcomes did not vary among OUD patients receiving treatment from clinicians with high or low telehealth use.

Researchers assessed claims for 11,801 patients who received treatment from 1,768 clinicians via telehealth between March 2019 and 2021. They found that the use of telehealth for OUD treatment increased between the pre-pandemic and mid-pandemic periods, but the total visit volume for OUD for each patient episode stayed stable among clinician groups with high and low telehealth use rates. Similarly, the initiation of medication for OUD between the two study periods did not change significantly.

Thus, they concluded that there is no evidence showing that telehealth increased access or improved the quality of OUD treatment.