Kristine Bashore has worn a lot of hats at Caron: HR professional, marketing officer and administrative officer. A self-proclaimed “utility player,” the former HR professional is now stepping into the role of chief operating officer at Caron.
During her more than 20-year tenure at the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment provider, Bashore has certainly seen the world of addiction care evolve. She has also been a part of those changes.
Internally, she has worked on multiple strategic plans, including helping to guide Caron into the future. As Bashore steps into the C-suite, she will help execute the strategic plan for the next three years, which includes research, value-based care and treating acute mental illness alongside SUD.
“I do believe that the opioid epidemic and the mental health challenges, particularly through COVID, have opened up a whole dialogue,” Bashore told Behavioral Health Business.
Bashore noted that when she first started in the industry 20 years ago, there was a lot of stigma around mental health and substance use disorder. Mental health conditions were also treated very separately from a SUD.
However, the advancements in the industry have led to better care, Bashore said.
The Wernersville, Pennsylvania-based Caron was founded 65 years ago as a company focused on caring for patients with substance use disorder. Caron currently operates in Pennsylvania, Floria, Washington, D.C., Georgia and New York.
The company is continuing to expand with a new medical facility called the Keele Center in 2023.
One way that advancements in addiction care have progressed is through research. In June, Caron opened The Fran and Doug Tieman Center for Research, a nonprofit substance use treatment facility with a focus on medication research.
Research needs to be part of the equation in helping people on their lifelong journey of recovery, Bashore explained.
“Part of that is looking at things like the genetic risk of addiction,” she said. “So that when a parent takes a child in to get wisdom tooth surgery, there is a test that assesses the risk about taking an opioid painkiller and the risk of addiction.”
Understanding relapse, sleep and managing pain are also going to be key focus areas for the organization’s research efforts.
Caron’s future value-based care plan
Value-based care has become an increasing focus for Caron, and it will continue to be part of the overall plan moving forward. Six years ago, the company set a strategic priority around increasing access to care.
Initially, Caron worked with Independence Blue Cross of Philadelphia on a case rate agreement that allowed patients to come to Caron for 28 days of treatment.
“That has really grown into a value-based philosophy for us,” Bashore said. “[Through] Independence Blue Cross and then subsequently through Aetna, … we have been able to gain outcomes [data] from them in terms of how well we’re doing. So with Independence Blue Cross, that 90-day readmission rate is just over 5.5%. When you look at all the other Independent Blue Cross providers, their readmission rate is more than double that.”
This data has allowed Caron to go to more providers with a value proposition. Bashore noted while the stay may be longer than insurers traditionally cover, it comes with concrete proven data.
This has also, in part, helped expand access to patients. Before Caron’s strategic plan prioritized value-based care, roughly 75% of patients came to the company through private pay, with the remainder coming through insurance funding, Bashore said.
However, over the last few years that number has flipped. Now, about 70% of patients come through insurance-based contracts, with 25% to 30% of the patients coming through private pay.
As for the future of the company, Bashore said the organization is now looking to continue to expand access by reaching underserved communities.
She said that Caron is focusing on programs for the LGBTQ+ community, for example, and for areas with fewer resources. Additionally, the organization is looking to expand access to care for individuals with acute mental health conditions and substance use disorder.
“We have to continue to be focused on the acuity of the patients and the mental health disorders,” Bashore said. “We are starting a mental health program in a Florida location starting the beginning of August, that we will be able to better treat patients who come to us with more significant mental health disorders alongside the disorders.”
