Expanding Telehealth to Optimize Buprenorphine Access and Mitigate Rural Treatment Barriers

Saturday, April 25, 2026

10:45 AM - 12:00 PM PT

Location: Coronado DE, Level 4

Presenter(s)

JP

Jeanmarie Perrone, MD

Director, Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Slides
Michael J. Lynch, MD FACEP FACMT

Associate Professor, Senior Medical Director
UPMC and UPMC Health Plan
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
NG

Nicole M. Gastala, MD, MS

Chief of Integrated Behavioral Health and Addiction
UI Health Mile Square Health Center - University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Non-presenting author(s)

NO

Nicole O'Donnell, BA. CRS

Certified Recovery Specialist Director
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Eric Weintraub, MD

MD
University of Maryland
Towson, Maryland
Margaret Lowenstein, MD

Assistant Professor
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Gilly Gehri, MBE

Project Manager
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Explore how innovative telehealth models are expanding access to buprenorphine treatment and reducing barriers for rural and underserved populations. This interactive session features a panel of clinicians, navigators, and program leaders sharing real-world strategies, lessons learned, and implementation tools to improve equity and retention in medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) care. Breakout discussions will help participants tailor solutions to their own settings and populations.

Learning Objectives:

Learners will be able to:

Describe telehealth models expanding MOUD access in rural, regional, and urban settings to identify effective and sustainable practices.
Evaluate strategies for initiating and retaining patients on buprenorphine via telehealth, with emphasis on improving continuity of care in rural and underserved communities.
Design an action plan to implement equitable, patient-centered telehealth approaches that address barriers unique to rural populations.

Disclosure(s):

Jeanmarie Perrone, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Michael J. Lynch, MD FACEP FACMT: No financial relationships to disclose

Nicole M. Gastala, MD, MS: No financial relationships to disclose

Nicole O'Donnell, BA. CRS: No financial relationships to disclose

Eric Weintraub, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Margaret Lowenstein, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Gilly Gehri, MBE: No financial relationships to disclose