Integration of a Community Opioid Treatment Program Into a Federally Qualified Health Center

Area of Science:

• Addiction Medicine
• Public Health
• Healthcare Integration

Background:

• Rising opioid overdose deaths necessitate innovative solutions for medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) access.
• Barriers to buprenorphine initiation for fentanyl users highlight the need for expanded methadone treatment options.
• Integrating opioid treatment programs (OTPs) with primary care settings can improve patient access and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of an integrated methadone and primary care treatment model.
• To assess the feasibility of a partnership between an OTP and a federally qualified health center (FQHC).
• To evaluate the impact of integrated care on treatment access for an urban, underserved population.

Main Methods:

• Co-location of an OTP methadone dispensing site within an FQHC.
• Utilizing a shared staffing model leveraging expertise from both OTP and FQHC.
• Collecting and analyzing patient demographics, medical history, and retention data via chart review.

Main Results:

• 288 patients were enrolled in the integrated OTP-FQHC program between January 2021 and February 2023.
• Patient retention rates at 90 and 180 days were comparable to established OTPs.
• The integrated model demonstrated operational feasibility.

Conclusions:

• Collaboration between FQHCs and OTPs is operationally viable using existing staffing structures.
• This integrated model successfully increases access to methadone treatment and primary care.
• The approach is effective for serving urban, underserved patient populations with opioid use disorder.