Treatment utilization and modality preference among veterans receiving outpatient substance use disorder treatment during a pandemic.

During COVID-19, veterans whose main treatment modality was telephone were more likely to require PER services than veterans who were seen by video, even after controlling for age, AUD, opioid use disorder, and past-year PER visits. This study is the first to have examined SUD treatment modality utilization patterns in response to COVID-19. Findings suggest that treatment modality during the initial phase of COVID-19 correlated with PER presentation.