Substance Use Disorder (SUD) services

Intervention and integrated services make the difference

SUDs can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or income level. Like diabetes, arthritis, or asthma, SUDs are chronic illnesses that impact every corner of a person’s life and require integrated care and support.

 

By applying our innovative services and guiding individuals through the behavioral, physical, and social aspects of treatment, we help them get the care they need to recover, and ultimately, lead more productive lives.

Lines of business

  • Commercial
  • Employer
  • Medicaid
  • Medicare

The first touchpoint on the path to recovery

People with an SUD often go untreated due to stigma, geographic location, and difficulty finding treatment. Our advanced analytics allow us to proactively identify and connect with those at risk before their SUD worsens. 

 

An experienced case manager or peer support specialist is the first touchpoint. They know a treatment plan is most likely to be effective when an individual feels heard and empowered. Their motivational interviewing techniques engage individuals in their care journey and provide a personalized approach to the full range of support we offer.

Customizing SUD treatment for better results

The road to recovery is highly individualized and holistic. We consider a person’s unique needs as we:

Integrate and coordinate mental health, physical health, and pharmacy.

Close gaps in care whenever and wherever they exist.

Provide access to providers with clinical expertise and evidence-based treatments.

Connect people with local and online resources.

Adapting and supporting every step of the way

Whether mild, moderate, or severe, acknowledging and overcoming an SUD is challenging. It's why we stay with an individual and their loved ones throughout the recovery journey to anticipate and respond to changing needs. 

 

To improve outcomes, we combine SUD treatment with these important programs:

 

  • Social Drivers of Health (SDoH) assessment and support services. 

  • Peer Support, including wellness and recovery programs with member-driven training and outreach teams.

  • Specialty population programs such as crisis, opioid use disorders, child welfare, intellectual or developmental disabilities, and suicide prevention.

Success stories

Changing Pathways: Addressing opioid use disorder

Our Changing Pathways program encourages medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), the most effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD).1

Instead of traditional withdrawal management, also known as “detoxification”, MOUD is implemented during inpatient care and transitions to outpatient care.

To fully support early implementation of MOUD and warm transfers to continuing care, the program also includes member education, peer support, provider consultation, and data-based quality management assistance.

In the program’s first 18 months, the health outcomes of members struggling with OUD were significantly improved.2

32%

The increase in members discharged from withdrawal management who successfully  connected to an MOUD provider in the community.

 

2.2%

A significantly lower percentage of engaged participants were re-admitted to an inpatient facility. Within seven days of discharge, readmittance for those in Changing Pathways was 2.2%, while readmittance for those in traditional withdrawal management was 7.1%.

 

12.2%

Within 30 days of discharge, readmittance for those in Changing Pathways was 12.2%, while readmittance for those in traditional withdrawal management was 24.2%.

 

41%

Over 41% of engaged participants adhered to MOUD for the three-month period following discharge.3 That is nearly a 162% increase over the percentage of individuals who remained adherent after traditional withdrawal management.

 

74%

Individuals who engaged in Changing Pathways and remained MOUD adherent for 90 days following discharge experienced a 74% reduction in rate of overdose, from 8.2% to 2.1% of members.

Resilience through Information, Support, and Education (RISE)

Launched in Q4 2020, this field-based, case management intervention program engages individuals who are at critical risk for developing a negative alcohol or opioid health outcome within 12 months of identification.

The program helps educate and empower individuals to be active participants and advocates in their health journey to avoid a progression of the disorder and to improve their overall health.

2,000+

Since its launch, more than 2,000 individuals and providers have been enrolled in RISE.4

1:2 Return on Investment (ROI)

Outcomes have shown a gross savings of $6,139,170, a 1:2 ROI, for the RISE group when compared to a control group.5

Massachusetts Consultation Service for Treatment of Addiction and Pain (MCSTAP)

Launched in 2019, MCSTAP supports Massachusetts clinicians in increasing their capacity for and comfort in using evidence-based practices to screen, diagnose, treat, and manage the care of all patients with chronic pain, SUDs, or both.

Resources for the program include:

  • Tools for providers and their staff on evidence-based guidelines for screening, triage and referral, risks and benefits of medications, and discussion of screening results and treatment options.

  • Real-time physician consultation for clinicians on safe prescribing and managing care for adult patients with chronic pain, SUDs, or both.

  • Resource and referral information about community-based providers, programs, and services to support patients with either chronic pain or SUDs.

Learn more about our substance use disorders solution

1 Pew: Medications for Opioid Disorder Improve Patient Outcomes (December 2020): pewtrusts.org.
2 2020 Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership.
3 Adherence means using MOUD at least 80% of days for three months following discharge.
4 Internal data, 2022.
5 Internal data, 2023.