By Myles Starr
Black and Hispanic patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) are prescribed less medication than white patients, as shown by data from a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine (2023;388:1779-1789).
“One straightforward hypothesis about why these disparities exist is that Black or Hispanic patients may have fewer healthcare encounters or see fewer doctors,” said study author Michael L. Barnett, MD, MS, an associate professor of health policy and management