Substance use disorder (SUD) treatment provider BrightView Health is shutting down its centers in two of the seven states it operates in. BrightView cited challenging operating environments in Massachusetts and Arizona as the reason for closing nine total facilities across the two states. “We have chosen to focus on states with operating environments that allow […]

Drug overdose deaths may be on the decline in parts of the U.S. for the first time in years, but the opioid epidemic is far from over. Contributing to the epidemic’s complexity is payers’ refusal to comply with state and federal parity laws and barriers to access medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), according to […]

M&A in the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment space has been slow over the last few years. However, that could change as a new “business-friendly” presidential administration takes over and interest rates soften. And some industry insiders speculate that digital could be the place to look for M&A activity in 2025. “I imagine we will […]

AbsoluteCare hires new chief growth officer Value-based care provider AbsoluteCare named Michelle Croasdale its new chief growth officer. Columbia, Maryland-based AbsoluteCare offers physical, behavioral and transitional services in Maryland, Ohio, Louisiana and Pennsylvania. Its behavioral health offerings include therapy, psychiatry, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and peer services. Croasdale most recently served as the senior […]

Lack of behavioral health parity has extreme consequences for patients. The inability to find in-network care for these services requires patients without the means to pay for health care out of pocket to forgo care or make “really tough life decisions.” “We’ve [heard] stories of members having to lose their homes because they have to […]

Weight-loss drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, have become a sensation in recent years. The drugs, originally intended to treat diabetes and now often hailed as weight loss revelation for people without diabetes, may be set to make an indelible mark on the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment industry. Nearly half of people on a course […]

Virtual substance use management company Pelago has named Frank Jennings its new president, the company announced last week.  Jennings comes over from a three-year tenure at Castlight Health where he was the chief sales officer. He also served as the chief commercial officer at Covera Health and senior vice president of sales at Doctor on […]

While medication-assisted treatments (MAT), such as methadone and buprenorphine, are hailed as the gold standard for treating opioid use disorder (OUD), some patients with the condition instead opt for non-opioid medications. Clinicians too are much more likely to prescribe non-opioid medications. These preferences, based on misinformation and misunderstandings, can keep patients from the most effective […]

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has extended telehealth flexibilities, which allow for the prescribing of controlled substances without an in-person visit, through 2025. The flexibilities were first put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, and allow clinicians to prescribe several behavioral health medications virtually, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder and adderall […]

The merit of an integrated addiction treatment model is grounded in three key elements: the value to the patient, the value to the provider and the value to the payer. “If we could find value-added items that meet those three aims, then that’s a no-brainer,” Nick Stavros, CEO of the Scottsdale, Arizona-based outpatient medication-assisted treatment […]