Telehealth improves Hepatitis C treatment in patients with opioid use disorder

MedPage Today reported on the research published in JAMA by Andrew Talal, that found that telemedicine improved hepatitis C treatment in patients with opioid use disorder, significantly boosting cure rates over off-site referrals. “What we found was that people valued empathy, as measured by time spent with the doctor or the interpersonal manner of the provider, more than accessibility,” said Talal. He said that the facilitated telemedicine case managers were seen as collaborators, which improved patient interactions.