LAUSR

Key Points Question Among Veterans Health Administration patients receiving buprenorphine for opioid use disorder in the year following implementation of COVID-19–related telehealth policies, did patient characteristics and retention differ across treatment modalities? Findings In this cross-sectional study of 17 182 patients, patients who were younger, male, Black, unknown race, Hispanic, non–service connected, or with certain comorbidities were significantly less likely to receive telehealth; those who were older, male, Black, non–service connected, or experiencing homelessness and/or housing instability were significantly less likely to receive video compared with telephone-only telehealth. Telehealth was positively associated with retention. Meaning These findings suggest that discontinuing or reducing telephone-only access may disrupt treatment for groups with access disparities and that telehealth-delivered buprenorphine may support retention.