Anthem and Boulder Care Partner to Provide Evidence-based Telehealth Addiction Treatment to Members in Ohio

    CINCINNATI, OH, September 14, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- To address the growing need for accessible, affordable substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio and Boulder Care have partnered to provide evidence-based telehealth addiction treatment to Ohioans covered by employer-based, individual and Medicare Advantage plans. Together, Anthem and Boulder Care are setting a new standard for addiction care: delivering high-quality SUD care to more Ohioans and advancing a value-based care model in SUD treatment.

This partnership comes at a time of heightened need for effective addiction treatment in Ohio. Ohio has the fourth-highest drug overdose rate in the United States, with record surges in opioid overdoses reported in 2020. Furthermore, medications for addiction treatment (MAT) – considered the gold standard for treating SUD – remain inaccessible to many, due to a lack of prescribers and regulatory barriers: only 55 percent of all rehabilitation facilities in Ohio offer medications like buprenorphine, and 80 percent of communities nationwide lack a buprenorphine prescriber.

​​"A cornerstone of Anthem's strategy to address increased rates of substance use disorder has been to expand access to quality treatment which meets members where they are at, and with what they are ready to do," shares Eric Bailly, Anthem SUD strategy director. "Partnering with a provider such as Boulder Care allows us to do this in a way that extends our commitment to quality service delivery in a virtual format for our Ohio membership."

Unique to the partnership is a joint commitment to innovative value-based care. Boulder Care's payment model rewards long-term care management and quality outcomes – rather than fee-for-service reimbursement, which incentivizes high visit and testing volume. Bundling services under a case rate stabilizes costs while realigning incentives around whole person care and treatment retention.

Boulder Care's CEO Stephanie Strong shares, "Boulder's model tailors care plans for each patient, drawing from a range of medical, social, and recovery resources to meet individual needs. Value-based contracting enables this innovation: holding treatment providers accountable for delivering better experiences to partners and patients. We are grateful to partner with Anthem to ensure more Ohioans have accessible, affordable options for SUD care. With this relationship -- and by linking arms with healthcare providers and community-based organizations across the state -- we'll help more people stay safe and achieve long-term recovery."

Boulder Care, founded in 2017, is a digital clinic that offers long-term support and telehealth treatment for substance use. Care is delivered through video visits and secure messaging via a smartphone app, where patients are matched with a dedicated Care Team, including:

• A clinician to support medical needs and prescribe medications
• A peer recovery coach to offer recovery support and connections, from their own lived experience with addiction
• A care advocate and case manager to help coordinate care and social services, from scheduling visits to resolving insurance and/or pharmacy issues

Anthem is one of a number of Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) plans that have recently expanded their addiction treatment offerings to include Boulder Care's telehealth addiction treatment program. Earlier this year, Regence announced Boulder Care as an in-network benefit for most members nationwide, and in 2020, Premera launched Boulder Care to all fully-insured groups and most self-funded groups. Through its BlueCard status, Boulder Care is on a short list of vendors granted a telehealth exception by the national BCBS Association, simplifying deployment to serve BCBS members across all 50 states.

To learn more about Boulder Care's addiction treatment services and how to get started today, please visit www.boulder.care

Boulder Care is a digital clinic that offers long-term support and telehealth treatment for substance use. Dedicated Care Teams collaborate across medical, behavioral, and psychosocial dimensions to deliver evidence-based care and help patients work toward their unique recovery goals. Millions of people have access to Boulder Care through leading health plans, employers, and other partners. For more information, please visit www.boulder.care

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