As telehealth use grew during the pandemic, it helped reduce the risk of drug overdoses, according to a new study.

With the expansion of telehealth services for opioid use disorder, an analysis recently published in JAMA Psychiatry found that Medicare beneficiaries had a lower likelihood overall of a fatal drug overdose.

In a state like Pennsylvania – where more than 5,300 people died of an overdose in 2021 – expanding telehealth to reach more people who struggle with drug addiction could save lives, researchers concluded.

The study compared two groups of Medicare recipients with opioid use disorder: one cohort before COVID-19 and another during it. The study found that receiving telehealth services and medications to assist with opioid addiction "we associated with reduced odds for fatal drug overdoses."

Patients receiving telehealth services lowered their overdose risk by 33%. Those who received medication in office-based settings also saw their odds of a fatal overdose fall by 59%, while those treated with buprenorphine in an office saw their odds fall 38%.

The results suggest that telehealth plays a significant role in combatting the opioid crisis and reducing fatal overdoses – especially in rural areas, where access to healthcare services can be limited.

“The results of this study add to the growing research documenting the benefits of expanding the use of telehealth services for people with opioid use disorder, as well as the need to improve retention and access to medication treatment for opioid use disorder,” Lead Author Christopher M. Jones, director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC, said in a press release.

Though the study identified more than 70,000 people with an opioid use disorder in its pandemic cohort, few of them received treatment. Only one in five Medicare beneficiaries received telehealth services for their disorder, and only one in eight received medication.

“These findings underscore the need for continued expansion of these potentially life-saving interventions across clinical settings,” the press release noted.

In a recent House Appropriations Committee hearing, officials from the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs noted that single-county authorities, the county-level arms of DDAP, will receive $25 million for drug prevention services.

Nationally, the opioid crisis remains a significant problem.

“At a time when more than 100,000 Americans are now dying annually from a drug overdose, the need to expand equitable access to lifesaving treatment, including medications for opioid use disorder, has never been greater,” Wilson Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said in a press release. “Research continues to indicate that expanded access to telehealth is a safe, effective, and possibly even lifesaving tool for caring for people with opioid use disorder, which may have a longer-term positive impact if continued.”