Programs that seek to implement buprenorphine tend to focus on supporting healthcare providers in new settings with the skills and knowledge needed to prescribe buprenorphine. Thus, an existing lack of knowledge and familiarity regarding buprenorphine prescribing is often a key barrier that must be addressed during implementation.

Some healthcare providers in these new settings have expressed a lack of interest in prescribing buprenorphine or feel that prescribing medications for opioid use disorder is not within the existing clinical mission of the organization.

Many healthcare providers still hold stigmatizing beliefs about individuals with substance use disorder, including beliefs that substance use disorder is a moral failing rather than a medical problem or that buprenorphine will be misused or diverted.