Study reveals opioid patients face multiple barriers to treatment
Vanderbilt researchers focused on four Appalachian states — Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina and West Virginia — that have among the highest rates of opioid use in the country and are more affected by opioid overdose deaths. In their study published in the journal Substance Abuse, researchers found that only about 50 percent of opioid treatment providers took any insurance, and there was also a huge variance among the states in programs that accepted Medicaid.