State Prior Authorization Prohibitions and Buprenorphine Retention Among Privately Insured Patients

Are state legislative prior authorization prohibitions associated with changes in buprenorphine treatment retention among privately insured patients?This cross-sectional study of 22 946 privately insured patients who started buprenorphine treatment from 2015 to 2022 found that state prior authorization prohibitions were not associated with significant changes in whether patients continued treatment for 180 days or longer.The findings suggest that additional interventions are needed to address gaps in opioid use disorder treatment among privately insured patients.

Corresponding Author: Ju-Chen Hu, PhD, Department of Health Policy and Management, Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, 1440 Canal St, 19th Floor, New Orleans, LA 70112 (jhu14@tulane.edu).

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