Improving Research on Racial Disparities in Access to Medications to Treat Opioid Use Disorders

Improving Research on Racial Disparities in Access to Medications to Treat Opioid Use Disorders

Published: May/June 2023

Journal Article

Overview

This one-hour, on-demand, journal article-based CME activity reviews research on the association between race and access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and shares proposals for new approaches to mitigate racial disparities in access to MOUD.

The review found that Black individuals had lower use of or access to MOUD than White individuals in 16 of the 21 studies reviewed. Also noted were disparities in availability and usage of two types of MOUD, methadone and buprenorphine – in 11 of 16 studies specifying access to buprenorphine over methadone, availability for MOUD using buprenorphine favored White people over Black people.

The reviewers also characterized the studies that examine racial disparities in access to MOUD care as, on the whole, lacking a shared, robust theoretical framework for considering the intersection of structural factors that contribute to racial disparities in access to MOUD care, such as the Public Health Critical Race Methodology Praxis, or PHCRP framework. Strengthening the research methodology should yield a better understanding of the reasons for racial disparities and point to effective solutions. 

The article authors recommend that future research should 1) evaluate the intersection of race and other factors that may influence access, 2) use measures of perceived racism and unconscious bias and self-identified race, 3) collect narratives to better understand the reasons for the disparities, and 4) evaluate the effectiveness of policies, programs, and clinical training in reducing racial disparities.

The target audience for this intermediate activity includes physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other clinicians, researchers and academics, residents, fellows, students and counselors and policymakers.

This activity addresses the following ACGME Competencies: Patient Care and Procedural Skills, Medical Knowledge, Practice-Based Learning and Improvement, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Professionalism, and Systems Based Practice.

Article Abstract

Objectives:  The aims of the study are to review the current research on the association between access to medications for opioid use disorders (MOUD) and race, to identify gaps in research methods, and to propose new approaches to end racialized disparities in access to MOUD.

Methods: We conducted a literature review of English language peer reviewed published literature from 2010 to 2021 to identify research studies examining the association between race and use of, or access to, MOUD.

Results: We reviewed 21 studies related to access to MOUD for Black and White populations. Of the 21 studies, 16 found that Black individuals had lower use of, or access to, MOUD than White individuals, 2 found the opposite among patients in specialty addiction treatment, 1 found that the difference changed over time, and 2 found that distance to opioid treatment programs was shorter for Black residents than for White residents.

Conclusions: To improve future research, we recommend that researchers

1. Be clearer on how race is conceptualized and interpreted;
2. Explicitly evaluate the intersection of race and other factors that may influence access such as income, insurance status, and geography;
3. Use measures of perceived racism, unconscious bias, and self-identified race;
4. Collect narratives to better understand why race is associated with lower MOUD access and identify solutions; and
5. Evaluate the effect of policies, programs, and clinical training on reducing racial disparities.

A multitude of studies find that Black individuals have lower access to MOUD. Researchers must now identify effective solutions for reducing these disparities.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion, learners will be able to:

1. Summarize the current research findings on the association between access to medications for opioid use disorders (MOUD) and race.
2. Recognize how methodological shortcomings in current research exploring racial disparities in access to MOUD treatment may be identified and addressed in order to better discern the root causes of these disparities.
3. Consider proposed approaches to end racialized disparities in access to MOUD based on findings from selected studies exploring the association between access to medication for opioid use disorders (MOUD) and race.

Registration Rates

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Refunds & Cancellations

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Registration Deadline: 06/02/2026

Course Instructions

1. Click on the Contents tab to begin this activity.
2. Click View Journal Article and read the journal article in its entirety. 
3. Click Complete Post Test to answer multiple choice questions. Participants will have 10 attempts to pass and must answer 2 out of 3 questions correctly.
4. Click Complete Evaluation to provide valuable activity feedback. Scroll down on all questions as there may be answer options that expand past the size of the window.
5. Click the button Claim Medical Credits in the box titled Claim Credits & Certificate. Choose the type of credit and click submit. Click the button View/Print Certificate to save or print your certificate. You can view/print your certificate at any time by visiting the ASAM eLearning Center, clicking Dashboard, and clicking Transcript/Achievements.

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CME, CE, CEU and Other Credit Types

ACCME Accreditation Statement
The American Society of Addiction Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement
The American Society of Addiction Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals
This activity has been approved by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #295, ASAM is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

National Board for Certified Counselors ACEP
The American Society of Addiction Medicine has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7062. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The American Society of Addiction Medicine is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

California Association for Drug/Alcohol Educators (CAADE)
This educational program is approved by CAADE: #CP40 999 1225.

California Association of DUI Treatment Centers (CADTP)
This educational program is approved by CADTP: #205.

California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP)
This educational program is approved by CCAPP: #OS-20-330-1224.

Continuing Education Credits (CEUs)
Non-physician participants will receive a certificate of attendance upon completion of the activity and an online evaluation confirming their participation. Participants should submit his/her certificate of attendance to their professional organization/institute.

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) or Continuing Certification Programs (CCP)

American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM)
The American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) has approved this activity for a maximum of 1 credit towards ABPM MOC Part II requirements.

American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA)
This activity contributes to the CME component of the American Board of Anesthesiology’s redesigned Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology TM (MOCA®) program, known as MOCA 2.0®.

American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the activity, with individual assessments of the participant and feedback to the participant, enables the participant to earn a maximum of 1 MOC point in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP MOC credit.

American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1 Medical Knowledge MOC point in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credits.

American Board of Surgery (ABS)
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME and/or Self-Assessment requirements of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN)
Successful completion of this CME activity can be used to satisfy the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology’s (ABPN) CME requirement for Maintenance of Certification program. 

American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM)
Successful completion of this activity can be used to satisfy the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM) Tmoc credit requirements.

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)
Royal College Fellows can use participation in Accredited Continuing Medical Education to earn Section 3 Credits.

Disclosure Information

In accordance with disclosure policies of ASAM and the ACCME, the effort is made to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all CME/CE activities. These policies include mitigating all possible relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies for the Planning Committees and Presenters. All activity Planning Committee members and Faculty have disclosed relevant financial relationship information. 

The Journal of Addiction Medicine has reviewed these disclosures and determined that the relationships are not inappropriate in the context of their respective presentations and are not inconsistent with the educational goals and integrity of the activity.