A systematic review published July 13 in the Substance Use & Addiction Journal gives the first pooled answer, and the retention figures are what stand out.
What the Systematic Review Examined
A team led by Akhil Anand, MD, of Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Psychiatry and Psychology searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Cochrane Central from database inception through September 2025.
The review was registered in advance with PROSPERO and included randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and qualitative research on adults with substance use disorders.
Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria, together representing roughly 578 participants. Twelve of those studies focused exclusively on opioid use disorder. One covered both alcohol and opioid use disorders, and one did not specify the substance.
The model under review is the shared medical appointment, which puts group-based clinical care and individual medical management into the same visit.
A prescriber handles the medical side for each patient, including medication management, while the group portion runs alongside it.
Retention Was the Clearest Finding
Six of the fourteen studies reported treatment retention. Across those, the median six-month retention rate came to 72.9%. Three studies reported reductions in substance use outcomes.
Two reported improvements in depression or anxiety scores. The qualitative studies pointed consistently in the same direction, describing high patient satisfaction, peer support, and a sense of shared accountability among group members. Implementation studies in the review showed the model was workable across a range of outpatient settings.
Where the Evidence Runs Out
The review authors were direct about the limits of what they found. The included studies varied widely in design and in the outcomes they measured, and most were observational rather than comparative.
Their conclusion is that shared medical appointments appear feasible and acceptable for addiction care and may support retention and patient experience, but that rigorous comparative studies are still needed to define how well the model actually works and how best to implement it.
That distinction matters for anyone reading a program’s marketing copy. A 72.9% median retention rate is a real signal from real clinics, and it is not the same thing as a head-to-head trial showing group visits beat individual visits.
How Group Visits Fit Into Addiction Treatment
Because twelve of the fourteen studies centered on opioid use disorder, most of this evidence sits inside medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, which pairs FDA-approved medications such as buprenorphine with counseling and behavioral support.
In a group visit built around MAT, a patient still gets individual attention on dosing, side effects, and monitoring. What changes is that the visit also puts them in a room with other people at similar points in treatment. Several of the qualitative studies traced patient satisfaction directly to that contact rather than to anything clinical.
What This Means for Treatment Seekers
If a program you are considering offers group medical visits for opioid use disorder, that structure has a growing evidence base behind it rather than being a cost-saving shortcut.
It is reasonable to ask a prospective provider how individual medical management is handled inside the group format, and how long their patients typically stay in treatment.
It is also fair to ask what the group is for. The research suggests the peer component is doing real work, so a program that treats the group time as filler is not delivering the model the studies examined.
Finding the Right Rehab
Comparing outpatient and intensive outpatient programs is a good starting point, since that is where shared medical appointments are typically delivered.
Verifying how a facility handles medication management and confirming what your insurance covers for outpatient addiction treatment will narrow the list further.
Search verified treatment centers in Rehab.com’s directory to compare programs, levels of care, and accepted insurance. For immediate help finding treatment, you can call
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