Medication-Assisted Treatment

The use of FDA-approved medications — primarily buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone — combined with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). MAT is considered the gold standard of OUD treatment by major medical organizations. Oklahoma currently has only 10 opioid treatment providers statewide, a severe shortage given rising overdose death rates driven by opioids and methamphetamine.

MAT access is a national public health infrastructure priority, with the Biden and Trump administrations both supporting expanded access through telehealth. The Ryan Haight Act's telehealth prescribing flexibilities, extended through regulatory action, allow providers to initiate buprenorphine treatment via telehealth without an in-person visit — a policy change that dramatically expands the role telehealth can play in addressing the overdose crisis. The RHTP's BH Integration initiative ($3.2 million) includes hub-and-spoke MAT models using telehealth connectivity. Portals in rural libraries can serve as confidential access points for patients initiating or maintaining MAT, with privacy-preserving enclosures enabling dignified care-seeking in small communities.