Telehealth Buprenorphine Sustains Retention Far Above National Benchmarks
This large multistate cohort shows telehealth-only buprenorphine care achieves 6-month retention roughly two to three times national benchmarks, with dosing pathway and peer support emerging as modifiable levers pharmacists can influence.
📅 Journal publication: Aug 14, 2026·Last updated: Oct 7, 2026
★ Editor's Pickbuprenorphineopioid use disordertelehealthmedications for opioid use disorderretention in treatmentlow-dose inductionhigh-dose inductionpeer supportMedicaidharm reductionretrospective cohortaddiction medicineBehavioral Health / Addiction Medicine
Background Information
Telehealth boosts buprenorphine retention for opioid use disorder.
Telehealth-delivered buprenorphine treatment can improve retention rates for opioid use disorder, which may reduce mortality. Retention at month 6 was 71.0%, with higher rates among those with prior buprenorphine exposure and those on high-dose pathways. Telehealth models show promise in maintaining patient retention for opioid use disorder treatment, especially amid the prevalence of fentanyl. Telehealth may increase retention in opioid use disorder treatment.
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Authors:Monico LB, Bambury EA, Foreman JK, Avila M, Martin SA
Citation:Monico LB, Bambury EA, Foreman JK, et al. Retention in Telehealth-Delivered Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Multistate Retrospective Cohort Study. Journal of medical Internet research. 2026;28:e100527. doi:10.2196/100527
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Executive Summary
Study Design
Patient Population
Primary Outcomes
Secondary Outcomes & Safety Profile
Pharmacist Implications
Clinical Pearls
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