This could be the year of employers sponsoring more substance use disorder (SUD) programs.
That’s according to Robert Poznanovich, the chief business growth officer at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.
He will be participating in a panel discussion entitled “SUD Payment Landscape: Emerging Revenue Opportunities” at Behavioral Health Business’ inaugural Autism & Addiction Treatment Forum in Chicago on July 18.
Poznanovich noted that the rise in SUDs among the workforce is causing employers to take on more expenses related to the conditions.
However, upstream interventions could be vital to creating a healthier workforce and reducing costs.
“We know now that the employees that have returned from COVID aren’t in the same condition they were before. They’re much sicker … We know that substance use is at the highest levels ever. There’s been more deaths from alcoholism in the last couple of years than before. I’ve seen workplaces now start to address [this with] their partnerships, solution and vendor choices,” he said. “Employers are now starting to address behavioral health in their benefit plan design.”
Founded in 2024, the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation was created by merging the Hazelden Foundation and the Betty Ford Center. Headquartered in Center City, Minnesota, the addiction and mental health provider currently has 17 treatment centers. Its programs are in-network with most larger payers but are not covered under Medicare or Medicaid.
Stigma is a significant challenge for employers combatting SUD issues. Poznanovich said for years employers would say their workforce didn’t need SUD services because employees weren’t utilizing EAPs for addiction care. But Poznanovich argued that doesn’t mean people aren’t still dealing with SUD.
“Don’t forget about substance use because it’s very much a big hidden cost that is still a stigma issue,” he said. “The amount of people who are struggling in the workplace, with substance use particularly … has never been higher. And 70 to 80% of the people who are using drugs and alcohol are employed full or part-time.”
Digital solutions have become a popular avenue for employers to address addiction in their workforce. Still, this type of intervention is often better suited to individuals with lower levels of acuity.
“I think a lot of people would like the problem to go away with a click through a website,” Poznanovich said. “In some cases, depending upon the right patient, it would meet their needs… but by definition, those who have reached that level of acuity where they’re getting hospitalized, creating workplace violence, injuries and accidents, are more acute, and are going to still need traditional care that goes beyond a one-on-one chat with a with a counselor, or EAP resource who may not even understand substance use.”
Workplace policies are evolving, and employers are beginning to implement more training programs to address SUD.
“What I’m seeing with employers, payers and benefit consultants and brokers is they’re creating some form of steerage and resources, and bringing together the ecosystem of their solutions together to help steer patients towards legitimate providers who provide levels of care that complement the other components of their ecosystem with health care,” he said.
