Assessing Buprenorphine Treatment Utilization and SAMHSA DATA Waiver Provider Distribution in 2021: A Real-World Analysis in California

Authors

Yun Wang, Chapman UniversityFollow
Tao Hu, Oklahoma State University
Chih-Hung Chang, Washington University in St Louis
Matthew Heshmatipour, University of California, Irvine
Jeff Jianfei Guo, University of Cincinnati
Moom R. Roosan, Chapman UniversityFollow
Karen A. Miotto, University of California, Los Angeles

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-9-2025

Abstract

Qualified clinicians previously required a practitioner waiver (i.e., “DATA-waiver” or "X-waiver") to offer buprenorphine, a medication for opioid use disorder (OUD). However, many counties in the US experience fewer buprenorphine prescriptions due to factors such as “DATA-waiver” providers underutilizing their buprenorphine prescribing ability. Our study aimed to compare the availability of active buprenorphine-prescribing clinicians in California to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA)-listed DATA waived prescribers under each 5-digit ZIP Code. This study utilized the buprenorphine prescription record data in 2021 from California’s Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES). The list of the locators for all DATA-waiver clinicians was obtained from the SAMHSA webpage. Among 1,600 ZIP Codes where patients resided, 62.1% housed DATA-waived physicians, and 57.8% had active buprenorphine-prescribing clinicians. A disproportional distribution between buprenorphine-prescribing clinicians and DATA-waived physicians was evident. Among physicians listed in the SAMHSA roster, not all were actively prescribing buprenorphine. Significant disparities in access to active prescribers and DATA waiver prescribers persist between rural and urban areas in California. Addressing these issues requires resource allocation and inter-professional collaboration. The 2022 Omnibus bill’s policy changes hold promise, necessitating further effort into OUD-based policy changes.

Comments

This article was originally published in Scientific Reports, volume 15, issue 1, in 2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07315-9

Recommended Citation

Wang, Y., Hu, T., Chang, CH. et al. Assessing buprenorphine treatment utilization and SAMHSA DATA waiver provider distribution in 2021: a real-world analysis in California. Sci Rep 15, 29168 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07315-9

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The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.