In this study, the volume of patients treated with buprenorphine increased after private equity acquisition, with minimal changes in the payer mix among these patients. However, the quality of treatment, in terms of buprenorphine retention duration, decreased after acquisition. These results underscore the need for oversight mechanisms and continued research to ensure incentives for private investment in addiction care align with delivery of high-quality evidence-based treatment.
Holdaway et al. (Mon,) studied this question.