‘They Won’t Rip Telehealth Away’: Digital Behavioral Health Companies Prepare for Industry-Shaping DEA Decision

November is fast approaching, and with it comes the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposed rule on telehealth and controlled substance prescribing. After a six-month delay, the federal law enforcement and regulatory body will release regulations that will shape the future of telehealth within behavioral health in the post-COVID era. It also has the potential to […]

Ophelia, CareSource, Gateway: Investing in Community Can ‘Start Moving the Needle’ on SUD Treatment

Community support often falls outside of the addiction treatment-managed care fee-for-service paradigm. Payers and providers alike know the importance of fostering community in addiction treatment, and it’s a key to effective treatment and long-term recovery. However, developing communities fall far beyond their typical scope of services. Regardless, innovations around managed and value-based care seek to […]

DEA Proposal Jeopardizes Digital Providers, Limits Access to Care, Behavioral Health Insiders Warn

The new telehealth restrictions proposed by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) last week struck a sour chord with several industry stakeholders. Many industry insiders condemned the move as out of touch and even dangerous, jeopardizing telehealth models’ effectiveness in behavioral health. Still, the proposal is not set in stone, and parts of it could change […]

Ophelia’s Provocative Opioid Use Disorder Marketing Campaign Will Turn Heads. But Will It Work?

Ophelia Health launched an intentionally provocative medication-assisted treatment (MAT) marketing campaign. The tagline for the campaign is “Fu*ck Rehab.” The New York City-based startup intends to challenge “rehab” as the default option for opioid use disorder (OUD). Ophelia Health has raised $67 million, according to Crunchbase. It solely focuses on treating OUD with MAT via […]

Virtual MAT Sees Much Higher Retention Than Industry Averages, Companies Find

Recently, three virtual medication-assisted treatment (MAT) startups have released research findings that demonstrate telehealth has been key to retaining patients and improving care outcomes. The companies — Bicycle Health, Quit Genius and Ophelia Health — are burgeoning behavioral health tech companies that have secured major venture capital funding and have grown significantly during the federal […]

UPMC Sees Virtual Behavioral Health Surge from Patients With Commercial Insurance, Sees Opportunity for MAT Services

More people are comfortable using telehealth as behavioral health services utilization has taken off from commercially-insured patients, according to one major health system. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), whose provider network encompasses 140 hospitals throughout Pennsylvania – as well as in parts of Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland – said its behavioral health volume […]

Virtual MAT Providers Hopeful that COVID-Era Flexibilities Will Continue — But Wary About Risks

Some leaders in the virtual medication-assisted treatment (MAT) space see the opportune regulatory environment of the moment continuing post-COVID. However, virtual MAT providers were disappointed in the past by a regulatory flub at the federal level that could have secured them key flexibilities, leaving them to at least think about what might happen if current […]