Press Release

Ophelia Expands Access to Opioid Addiction Treatment Across New York State, Now In-Network with MVP Healthcare

Issued by Ophelia

May 25, 2023

• Ophelia's partnerships with major New York health insurers give over 600,000 people access to evidence-based opioid addiction treatment
• New York State Department of Health's Opioid Quarterly Report showed a 14% increase in overdose deaths involving opioids in 2021 compared to 2020
• Medicaid coverage, insurance coverage, and financial hardship are top barriers to safe and effective addiction care for opioid users

NEW YORK -- Ophelia, an opioid addiction care provider, today announced a partnership with health insurer MVP Healthcare, further expanding access to its evidence-based medication-assisted treatment via telehealth across New York state. As a result of these partnerships, access to Ophelia is now available to MVP Healthcare's members in New York, including their Medicaid members. Medicaid patients are historically underserved and face many hurdles to accessing high-quality and safe opioid use disorder (OUD) care services.

Medication-assisted treatment, known as MAT, is considered to be the most effective treatment for OUD and involves the use of both medications and counseling or behavioral therapies. Research shows that MAT reduces overdoses by 76% and ER visits by 32%, yet two of three programs do not include a medication-assisted component in treatment plans.

Nearly 80% of Americans living with OUD do not receive any form of treatment. When people do seek treatment, it's typically required that they visit a provider in person at a clinic to receive a prescription, which can be burdensome for many people. Ophelia's treatment model lowers barriers for people to receive life-saving OUD support, allowing them to receive treatment in the privacy of their homes. They do not have to travel to a clinic, and they do not have to miss work or skip other daily obligations.

"Ophelia is dedicated to making lifesaving opioid addiction treatment more accessible to the people who need it most," said Zack Gray, Ophelia co-founder and CEO. "Our partnerships with forward-thinking insurers like MVP Healthcare are pivotal in providing people living with OUD throughout the state of New York with an effective treatment model that focuses on both cost and outcomes."

With support from care coordinators, patients are set up with an Ophelia clinician via telehealth appointment and, if eligible, can be prescribed Suboxone, a combination medication of Buprenorphine and Naloxone, a partial opioid that binds to the same receptors in the brain as traditional opioids and reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Within the first month of treatment, the patient will frequently meet with their designated clinician, who will help manage their prescriptions.

Ophelia accepts health insurance and Medicaid (varies by state and plan), and its out-of-pocket costs are affordably priced to help patients remain in treatment.

For more information, visit: https://ophelia.com/.

About Ophelia Ophelia is a digital provider of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD), committed to making evidence-based treatment universally accessible. Its mission is to remove barriers for the 80% of Americans with OUD who are unable to access care and the 50,000+ MAT clinicians who are unable to treat patients due to a lack of infrastructure, training, and support. At its core is the Ophelia Care Model, a team-based clinical model and software platform developed by leading experts in addiction medicine and psychiatry. Ophelia is licensed to provide care in 36 states and contracted with Medicaid, Medicare, and Commercial insurers covering 85 million American lives.

Editor's note: This press release has been issued by the company named above, not BenefitsLink. Reliance on information in this press release might be prudent only after an independent review of its accuracy, completeness, efficacy, and timeliness. Reference to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, service mark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by BenefitsLink.