One of California’s largest opioid treatment providers (OTP) is taking advantage of a landmark change in federal rules.
Pinnacle Treatment Centers announced Monday that they will begin prescribing opioid use disorder (OUD) patients methadone via audio-visual telehealth sessions in the state of California.
“Expanding access to methadone by allowing patients to initiate treatment via telehealth is a critical step forward in reducing harm caused by the opioid crisis in California,” Holly Broce, president of Pinnacle Treatment Centers’ OTP division, said in a statement.
Mount Laurel, New Jersey-based Pinnacle operates 46 treatment locations across California under the name Aegis. New federal and state laws now allow the provider to offer patients same-day admissions to methadone treatment programs.
Additionally, Pinnacle will provide walk-in services without appointments seven days a week in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.
Pinnacle’s service line expansion follows a rule change enacted in April by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which codified changes first made in April 2020. One change allowed OTPs to prescribe take-home buprenorphine without an in-person visit.
In SAMHSA’s updated rule, providers can now also initiate methadone treatment via telehealth.
California is in the process of amending its methadone prescribing regulations to align with federal guidelines. The California Department of Health Care Services made an exception to allow Pinnacle to operate under federal guidelines while the state completes this process.
Pinnacle expanded to California in 2020 with its purchase of Aegis. The company now has treatment locations in California, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Chicago-based private equity firm Linden Capital has maintained a controlling stake in Pinnacle since 2016. In 2022, Behavioral Health Business reported that over 90% of Pinnacle’s revenue comes from billing state Medicaid programs.
