Comparing the Care, Distance Traveled, and Health Workforce Clinician Mix for Rural and Urban Commercially Insured Patients With Opioid Use Disorder
Link
Date
04/2026
Description
Opioid use disorder (OUD) continues to affect rural communities, where access to treatment is limited by clinician shortages and long travel distances. Using commercial claims data, this study compares treatment for rural and urban patients with OUD, describing the number of visits, the types of clinicians providing care, and the distance patients traveled to access care.
Key Findings:- Rural patients with OUD and commercial insurance had 9.0 annual visits compared to their urban counterparts who had 10.0.
- Generalist physicians provided about one-third of the visits (29.4% - 33.3%) in rural areas compared to one-fourth of the visits for urban enrollees (25.6%).
- Specialist physicians provided more urban than rural care (45.3% vs. 32.4% - 41.0% of visits, respectively).
- Nurse practitioners and physician assistants provided proportionately about twice the share of care for enrollees in all types of rural counties (9.9% - 11.5%) than for urban enrollees (4.8%).
- Behavioral health professionals provided more care to urban enrollees (3.3%) compared to enrollees from all types of rural counties (1.1% - 3.2% of visits).
- Rural patients traveled an average of 37.0 - 53.3 miles to care, depending on the type of rural county they lived in.
- Rural patients from all types of rural counties, traveled on average more than twice as far as their urban counterparts to access care (37.0 - 53.3 miles vs. 16.6 miles, respectively).
- In 2019, rural patients who lived in a county with a DEA X-waivered clinician traveled about 7 miles less on average than those who lived in a county without one.
Center
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Authors
Holly Andrilla, Sara Woolcock, Lisa Garberson, Janessa Graves