The impact of regulatory changes on the providers of treatment for opioid dependence

<p>In 2000, changes in federal law allowed physicians to receive waivers to use narcotic medications, such as buprenorphine, for treatment of opioid dependence. As of 2006, physicians have been allowed to treat up to 100 patients after spending one year at a 30-patient limit. Physicians may choose to discontinue use of buprenorphine after the patient has successfully discontinued use of the substance of abuse ("withdrawal"), or physicians can keep patients on buprenorphine indefinitely ("maintenance"). The model in this dissertation assumes that demand for treatment of opioid dependence is exogenous but that demand for maintenance treatment can be induced by the physician. Using data from quarterly surveys of physicians from 2006 to 2010, this dissertation analyzes the impact of the higher caseload limit on the number of patients and the treatment path chosen by the physician. It finds support for the conclusion that physicians treat more patients after an increase in the caseload limit. The impact is particularly strong for maintenance, suggesting that the caseload limit discourages maintenance treatment. The dissertation also finds that this effect is stronger for physicians in primary-care type specialties.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Economics

Year dc:date.available

2011

Author dc:creator

• Fisher, Paul Aaron

Contributors dc:contributor

• Allen C. Goodman

• buprenorphine
• opioids
• substance abuse
• supplier-induced demand
• Economics

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/273

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.wayne.edu:oa_dissertations-1272