Remote Outpatient Addiction Treatment Expands Patient Recovery Options
Telehealth-Based Opioid Treatment (TBOT) involves receiving treatment online, typically through secure video conferencing. These remote treatment programs offer flexibility to patients with their recovery plans or who are stable in their recovery.
Key Takeaways
- While the COVID-19 pandemic made TBOTs a common form of treatment, they remain a popular option due to the convenience they offer patients.
- TBOTs are ideal for patients who struggle to visit a treatment facility due to medical conditions, transportation issues, or difficult schedules.
- TBOTs are best suited for patients with mild alcohol or substance use disorders—and may not be a good fit for those with more severe substance use disorder diagnoses.
- The optimal TBOT treatment model is still being developed, as medical assessments, urine and blood work, and other elements of a comprehensive program have not been proven to be as effective.
Telehealth: An Emerging Form of Addiction Treatment
Changes in federal healthcare policies during the pandemic made TBOT programs widely available to patients. Delivered completely online, TBOTs eliminate the barriers of travel and in-person visits to offer a convenient and accessible way for patients to get certain types of care.
TBOTs eliminate the barriers of travel and in-person visits to offer a convenient and accessible way for patients to get certain types of care.
TBOTs should follow a comprehensive care model that includes medication for addiction treatment, behavioral health therapy, and social services to help patients truly rebuild their lives. These comprehensive models will do much more to help patients than programs focused only on medication.
Because the TBOT model is so new, there is little research on its effectiveness compared to a traditional outpatient program, but early evidence suggests it is most effective as an aftercare tool. In particular, for patients on an injectable maintenance program (for example, Vivitrol or Sublocade).
TBOT’s Multiple Treatment Benefits
- Convenience: TBOTs remove the need for travel, making it easier for patients to receive consistent care when there are no local options available for in-person care.
- Accessibility: Patients can access treatment from their smartphones or computers, which is especially beneficial for those who travel frequently or live in remote or underserved areas.
- Continuity of Care: TBOTs ensure patients can maintain their treatment program when in-person visits are not possible due to travel or a constantly changing schedule.
- Health Issues: Patients who are immunocompromised or triggered by attending in-person treatment.
TBOT: One of Several Treatment Options
BrightView believes there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to addiction treatment. This means providing flexible and effective options that can be tailored to the diverse needs of our patients. Here’s a quick overview of various outpatient addiction treatment programs, including TBOT.
Outpatient Program Type |
Description |
Setting |
MAT Mgmt? |
Counseling/ Therapy? |
Key Features |
| Telehealth-Based Opioid Treatment (TBOT) | Providing addiction treatment services remotely using telehealth technology. | Remote/Online through a specialized treatment center | Yes | Yes (remotely) |
Convenient and accessible; reduces barriers to treatment, especially for rural patients, and those who frequently travel; prescriptions are filled separately. |
|
Office-Based Opioid Treatment (OBOT) |
Providing treatment services specialized for treating opioid and other narcotic addictions in a specialized, medical setting. | Specialized treatment centers | Yes | Yes | Accessible in community settings; integrates with primary care; prescriptions are filled separately, offsite. |
|
Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) |
Comprehensive treatment, specialized for treating opioid and other narcotic addictions, dispensing MAT onsite. |
Specialized treatment centers | Yes | Yes | Comprehensive care, focused on opioid addiction with MAT prescriptions filled on site. |
To learn even more about TBOTs and other types of Addiction Treatment Programs, check out these articles.
Can You Go To Drug Rehab Online? — More on TBOTs, including when this program is not an appropriate option.
Outpatient, Inpatient, Virtual: Which Addiction Treatment Program Is Right For Me? — A further comparison between the different types of treatment programs, including inpatient.
Online or In-Person, We Can Help
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, reach out to BrightView to learn more about effective treatment options. Call us a 888.501.9865 for more information or click here to schedule an appointment at your local treatment center.
