CareFirst has awarded a $212,171 grant to the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) to expand access to telemedicine medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction on the Eastern Shore.

The Star Democrat reports:

[Dr. Eric] Weintraub and [Dr. Christopher] Welsh have been providing similar services in western Maryland for the past three years in collaboration with the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). With this new funding, the program is expanding into Talbot and Dorchester counties and potentially into Queen Anne’s County.

Through this program, Weintraub and Welsh and other faculty can prescribe buprenorphine via their telemedicine program. It involves a video consultation and collaboration with counselors and others treating the patient locally.

The article notes that MAT with drugs such as methadone and buprenorphine is evidence-based treatment for opioid addiction. It is also difficult to access in rural areas. Telemedicine provides an important tool for providing MAT treatment in those areas of the state lacking sufficient local treatment providers.

Read The Star Democrat to learn more.

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