The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic shift to virtual treatment for patients with alcohol problems. This shift raises questions about potential disparities in access to virtual treatment, given the existing ?digital divide,? where older patients, patients of color, and patients of lower socio-economic status may have less access to broadband, computers, and other digital devices. Patients may also face barriers such as confidentiality concerns, lack of private space for participating in virtual sessions, and dissatisfaction with the virtual therapeutic experience. At the same time, features of virtual treatment, such as convenience and elimination of transportation and its costs, may increase access and use, particularly for underrepresented patient populations. The proposed study examines disparities in virtual alcohol treatment among patients with alcohol problems, defined as both excessive alcohol use and alcohol use disorder (AUD) in a large, diverse, health care delivery system that was able to quickly pivot to virtual alcohol treatment delivery during the pandemic. Using rich electronic health record and claims data, we examine changes in alcohol problem identification, and in several treatment measures (brief intervention, pharmacotherapy, and initiation, engagement, and retention in specialty addiction treatment) comparing visit types (virtual/non-virtual, telephone, video) from a pre- COVID-19 (3/2019-12/2019) to post-COVID-19 onset (3/2020-12/2020) time period. With a large sample of 205,293 patients with alcohol problems, we will specifically explore disparities by race/ethnicity, gender, age, and socioeconomic status, and examine different severity levels of alcohol problems. We explore differential insurance loss during this turbulent time, as well as health services utilization (e.g. emergency department, primary care, psychiatry, email secure messages) by the study population. Our rigorous analytic plan incorporates interrupted time series (ITS), and generalized estimating equation (GEE) models to address study aims. Early evidence suggests alcohol problems have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and virtual treatment will likely continue post-pandemic as an important treatment modality. Findings have important implications for patient care, particularly for improving quality of care for vulnerable populations. Further, the study cohort will be a valuable resource for future research on virtual alcohol treatment, and its long-term impact on patient outcomes.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we are witnessing two profound societal and health system developments with significant implications for the treatment of alcohol use problems: a sharp increase in alcohol consumption, and a potentially transformational move to virtual treatment modalities. The proposed study examines this major shift to virtual treatment for alcohol problems during the pandemic in a large, diverse health care system, specifically exploring potential disparities in accessing treatment. Virtual treatment is likely to persist as a major delivery model of alcohol treatment, and understanding potential inequities in access is critical to improving quality of care and outcomes for underserved populations.
