Journal of general internal medicine
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State policies facilitating telehealth implemented early in COVID may support buprenorphine treatment of opioid use disorder. However, little empirical information is available about those policies' effects. ⋯ Policies undertaken during the pandemic we examined were associated with few significant changes in buprenorphine treatment initiation and duration. Findings suggest realizing the benefits of telehealth and other policy changes for buprenorphine may require more extensive implementation and infrastructure support.
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Few eligible patients in the United States participate in lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). ⋯ Evidence on efficacy of interventions to increase LCS participation is limited due to a small number of prospective studies performed in non-diverse populations with critical risk of bias. Further, overall, studied interventions did not improve lung cancer screening participation, though interventions targeting multiple barriers may have some benefit.
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Black-White coronary heart disease (CHD) treatment disparities are well documented, especially regarding the use of high-quality hospitals. Physician referral networks may play a role. ⋯ PCPs' referral decisions for CHD treatment are primarily driven by access to specific professional networks and the socioeconomic circumstances of their patients. Nevertheless, PCPs strive to make the best available decisions, leaning into their networks and honoring patient preferences. While PCPs acknowledged existing disparities, they attributed them to patient and system factors rather than provider referral bias. Mitigating disparities will require interventions to improve minority-serving providers' formal and informal connections with high-quality specialists and hospitals, address patient socioeconomic constraints, and train providers to recognize their potential biases and misconceptions.