Highmark West Virginia is providing its customers access to a technological know-how-enabled opioid use dysfunction application created to extend therapy to rural and underserved regions and address the lack of out there medication–assisted therapy treatment.
The goal of treatment-assisted therapy treatment is to let people today to stop abusing opioids devoid of experiencing strong drug cravings or extreme withdrawal.
The treatment has also been shown to minimize overall health costs. When opioid-dependent patients are on treatment-assisted treatment plans, overall health-associated costs minimize by $20,000 on a yearly basis, according to Vivid Coronary heart overall health, which is performing in partnership with Highmark.
With the member’s authorization, Vivid Coronary heart Wellbeing keeps the member’s treatment crew up to date on their development and shares general performance metrics.
HOW THE Application Functions
Associates have access to Vivid Coronary heart Wellbeing products and services through self-referral or as a result of a heat hand-off, a process of transitioning a individual with a substance use dysfunction from an intercept place, this sort of as an crisis office, to a therapy service provider the moment the individual is steady.
Subsequent an first ingestion and evaluation process, they are related to a multidisciplinary treatment crew consisting of a medical doctor, therapist, circumstance supervisor, treatment supervisor and wellness coach.
Products and services with healthcare team and counselors are as a result of a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer.
WHY THIS Matters
Additional than ninety% of patients are unfavorable for opioids in ninety days of starting therapy, and extra than eighty five% are unfavorable for other stimulants and sedatives.
Additional than ninety% of patients are retained in opioid use dysfunction therapy just one thirty day period following starting products and services, according to Vivid Coronary heart Wellbeing.
THE Greater Craze
The teleaddiction application, which Highmark named the first of its variety in the point out and just one of the first of its variety in the U.S., proceeds the firm’s response to the opioid crisis.
Last thirty day period, Highmark introduced new virtual education and learning and advocacy tools that are out there to employer-primarily based customers, to combat the stigma involved with opioid use dysfunction and to boost recovery in the office.
These new means are a value-additional provider for Highmark group customers in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and are provided in partnership with Shatterproof, a countrywide nonprofit business that is combating the addiction crisis.
During the previous 3 several years, Highmark and the Highmark Basis have delivered some $three million to group corporations and plans combating the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware.
Highmark West Virginia is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Protect Affiliation. Blue Cross Blue Protect corporations across the place are launching the Compound Use Resource Middle, which will contain a phone centre and devoted net internet site.
ON THE History
Jon Ciampi, president of Vivid Coronary heart Wellbeing claimed, “Highmark is proactive in addressing the needs of their customers, and recognizing limitations patients facial area when in search of treatment. By means of this connection, and the Highmark network, we hope to get to people today who have been not able to access treatment because of to site or other limitations.”
“MAT treatment is viewed as the gold typical of treatment for opioid use dysfunction, but there are lots of MAT ‘deserts’ across West Virginia,” states Dr. Caesar DeLeo, vice president and govt healthcare director of strategic initiatives for Highmark. “In these regions, patients have particularly restricted access to evidence-primarily based OUD therapy and may possibly facial area sizeable wait periods or transportation troubles. Clinicians are overextended. By means of this application, we will be in a position to spouse with clinicians so that our customers obtain the variety of thorough, available OUD therapy that puts them on a route to prolonged-expression recovery.”
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
E-mail the author: [email protected]
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