Flare Capital’s Alexandra Mullin and Ian Chiang outline COVID-19’s impact on the worsening opioid crisis and how the digital opioid use disorder space is likely to develop over the coming years.
The alarming scale of the opioid use disorder (OUD) epidemic has resulted in unprecedented human and economic devastation, and there is significant opportunity for digital tools to alter the gold standard of care to one that is ongoing and on-demand.
The epidemic has only worsened since the onset of COVID-19, given heightened economic instability, social isolation, disruption to transportation and decreased access to in-person support services.
We have begun to see increased proliferation and adoption of data-driven, on-demand telemedicine solutions by providers. The pandemic in particular has accelerated the normalization of virtually enabled care and familiarization with digitally delivered treatments amongst clinicians, pharmacists, caregivers and patients alike.
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The convergence of all these factors – the shocking negative impact on human life, an uptick in digitally driven innovation in the OUD space and a willingness by providers and patients to adopt such solutions – makes investments by all key stakeholders throughout the healthcare ecosystem in the OUD digital health space both attractive and timely.
Although there has been a significant amount of digital disruption in the OUD market, lingering unmet needs exist, as many current solutions require a mix of in-person and app-based interactions. Relaxation of in-person visit requirements and reimbursement parity for many telemedicine services amidst COVID-19 bode well for continued use of these virtual interventions.
In order for telehealth and telemedicine to truly enable expanded access to care for geographies lacking trained providers or community health resources, we will need to see increased innovation in digital-first, direct-to-consumer tools, as well as an extension of reimbursement.
Until then, more integrated and comprehensive tech-enabled solutions that incorporate medication-assisted treatment (MAT) while minimizing in-person interactions will be increasingly important. In the next few years, we will likely see:
- Increased normalization of digital or app-based programs as the standard of care.
- On-demand and ongoing remote care, rather than episodic delivery.
- Reduced stigma and lifestyle disruption due to accessible digital solutions.
- Employers bundling digital OUD services in benefits to improve employee wellbeing and reduce total medical expense.
- Payers shifting towards value-based outcomes for OUD programs, with digitally enabled services to monitor compliance and incentivize retention.
- Acceleration of partnerships between technology and healthcare providers.
- Big techs partnering with more ‘traditional’ healthcare companies to expand access to services and improve delivery of digital OUD treatment options.
Source: Mobihealth News