Understanding MAT access in the context of unused MAT capacity in the United States: when increasing rural MAT capacity is not enough

MAT treatment capacity is a necessary but not exclusive requirement for increasing access to MAT. Addressing the multi-faceted barriers to prescribing MAT, particularly buprenorphine, will be critical to ensure the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 does in fact result in a larger workforce that actually prescribes buprenorphine and a pharmacy system that stocks these medications.