Ria Health Partnering with Highmark to Cover Insurance Costs for AUD Treatment

Ria Health, a telehealth provider of treatment services for alcohol use disorder (AUD), is joining forces with Highmark to make coverage available for the insurer’s members.

Under the agreement announced Tuesday, Ria will be offered to over 5 million members of Pittsburgh-based Highmark, a Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate that covers residents in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia.

Ria provides a combination of risk reduction services and abstinence-based assistance to combat AUD. Ria’s platform uses physicians to dispense AUD treatment medications like naltrexone and acamprosate to help individuals decrease their alcohol intake, or quit altogether. A breathalyzer is also provided for users to track their progress, with medications made available through local pharmacies.

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One-on-one coaching support is provided to Ria users, who can also access licensed nurses for consultation during their treatment journey. Access to the Ria platform is available 24/7, with costs for membership at $350 per month.

Ria accepts a number of major commercial insurances such as Anthem, which like Highmark is a Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate. Annual and monthly out-of-pocket payment plans are also accepted by the virtual provider.

“Telemedicine has been unquestionably beneficial to patient care since its inception, but to a large degree those benefits have remained unrealized for those requiring specialized treatment for substance issues,” Demetrios Marousis, the director of behavioral health at Highmark, said in a press release announcing the partnership. “Ria Health is not only offering an alternative but, in doing so, creating treatment accessibility. It offers our insured who might not otherwise seek treatment for AUD a measurable path to improved health and function.”

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An estimated 15 million Americans suffer from AUD, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Founded in 2013, San Francisco-based Ria says that its platform helps users decrease their blood alcohol concentration levels by 75% after 12 months of treatment.

“People need evidence-based options when it comes to treating alcohol use disorder,” said Tom Nix, Ria Health’s CEO said in the press release. “Providing a private, at-home program that is clinically effective in helping people reduce or stop their harmful drinking will benefit the health and wellbeing of many members and their families.”

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