Potential Clinical and Economic Impact of Registered Nurses Supporting Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in the Ambulatory Care Setting

The opioid crisis continues to impact the United States despite efforts to reduce or remove barriers to expanding access to opioid use disorder (OUD) care and treatment. There is significant work still to be done. Given the overalfinancial impact to health care, the criminal justice system, and general lost productivity in the United States that continues to grow each year, it is imperative that interventions supportive approaches be implemented. As licensed clinicians, ambulatory care registered nurses have the potential to make a significant impact to the expansion of OUD services. However, overcoming the barrier of billing for their services is a hurdle that must be tackled.