Buprenorphine prescribing is increasingly delivered by primary care nurse practitioners to Medicaid beneficiaries

Key Points

• The aim is to explore the role of nurse practitioners in prescribing buprenorphine to Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder.
• Analyzed prescribing trends of buprenorphine among nurse practitioners and other providers.
• Compared patient complexity across different prescribers.
• Investigated factors influencing prescribing practices post X-waiver removal.
• Nurse practitioners significantly contribute to buprenorphine access for Medicaid patients.
• Patient complexity remains consistent across different types of providers.
• No significant change in prescribing practices observed after the removal of the X-waiver.