An autism care provider that touts a multifaceted treatment approach has expanded into North Carolina.
Cortica Inc. announced last week that it has opened a center in Cary, North Carolina, a city just west of Raleigh and south of Durham. In addition to setting up shop in the Raleigh-Durham area, Cortica plans to open an office in Charlotte Nov. 11.
The Cary office is led by Dr. Rachel Hughes, a board-certified pediatrician who last worked at the Duke University’s Children’s Hospital. Dr. Margaret Bryan-Ellis, a pediatrician who was chief resident at Wake Forest Baptist Health, will lead the Charlotte office.
Cortica said that it has hired eight people for the Cary office and six for its Charlotte location.
Headquartered in San Diego, 10-year-old Cortica has made a name for itself by limiting the hours it bills for applied behavioral analysis compared to other autism providers. The company has instead spent some of that time having its patients, who are children up to age 17, visit specialists in neurophysiology, genetics, gastroenterology and nutrition.
Last year, Cortica raised $115 million in a Series D fundraising round with backers including CVS Health Ventures. It also acquired treatment centers in Trumbull, Connecticut, and Scottsdale, Arizona.
The North Carolina offices mark Cortica’s first expansion of locations since the Series D round. When the Charlotte location opens, the company will have 25 care centers, nearly half of which are in Southern California, with multiple centers also in Massachusetts and the Chicago metropolitan area. Cortica reports having over 2,200 employees.
Cortica CEO Neil Hattangadi said in a statement that the new offices will enable immediate treatment for children awaiting diagnostic tests for autism, who presently “are waiting 12 to 18 months for services.”
“We’re able to provide immediate, comprehensive support for families and prevent early intervention delays,” Hattangadi said.
The CEO recently discussed the state of the autism care space and his vision for Cortica at the Behavioral Health Business Autism & Addiction Treatment Forum, which took place in Chicago in July.
“We’re trying to transition the field from being fragmented and siloed to being whole-child and integrated,” Hattangadi said during a panel discussion.
“All payers are talking about whole person care,” he continued. “That collaboration with really thoughtful, engaged payer counterparts has been great for us this year.”
