BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Against the backdrop of an opioid epidemic made more deadly by the Covid-19 pandemic, Groups Recover Together (Groups) announced it now has over 110 offices spread across 15 states in the U.S. and is now treating more than 10,000 members nationwide. The CDC recently reported the U.S. recorded more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths in a 12-month period for the first time in history, and Groups has scaled its operations to meet the intensified need for evidence-based addiction treatment.
“Nearly two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, it is clear that the increased incidence of loneliness and isolation have severely impacted individuals who suffer from opioid use disorder,” said Colleen Nicewicz, CEO of Groups. “By increasing access to evidence-based therapies, and by offering both in-person and virtual treatment options, our organization is playing an outsized role in answering a growing need for addiction treatment. We are positioned to continue reaching new members in 2022, further increasing access to treatment in underserved areas.”
Since the start of 2021, Groups has worked to expand access to life-saving treatment in several key areas:
- Groups’ membership increased to more than 10,000 members and they opened offices in seven new states, including Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Missouri, and Florida. Groups retains more than 70% of members in treatment for more than six months, which is nearly three times higher than the national average for addiction treatment centers.
- Groups launched a proprietary digital platform for its members to make seeking treatment easier and faster while helping members to continue receiving services virtually. Groups’ counselors provided over 344,000 hours of telemedicine and in-person counseling sessions in 2021. Nearly one-third of current members live outside a county where Groups has a brick-and-mortar office, which speaks to the impact of telehealth on improving access to care.
- Groups raised $60 million in Series C financing to support its expansion into new states and the development of its digital platform. Oak HC/FT, which has backed key disruptors in healthcare such as Olive and Noom, led the funding round.
- Groups is the national leader in value-based contracting for substance use disorder and signed 96 new contracts with Medicaid, Medicare and commercial health plans in 2021. Groups is committed to aligning incentives with health plan partners and takes financial risk for clinical outcomes such as retention, abstinence, and emergency department utilization.
“Our goal in 2021 was to increase access to OUD treatment by meeting our members where they are, and that does not always align with where we have physical clinics,” said Dr. Jacob “Gus” Crothers MD, Chief Medical and Outcomes Officer at Groups. “We are excited to see that treating patients via telemedicine showed no decline in clinical outcomes and we believe it is an invaluable tool in reaching underserved patients in remote areas.”
According to the American Medical Association (AMA), opioid-related mortality increased in every U.S. state since the start of the pandemic. As need for treatment continues to grow, only about one in five patients with OUD pursue treatment in some form and many face a multitude of barriers to accessing evidence-based therapies, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT). One recent study showed 39% of all U.S. counties lack a single prescriber of buprenorphine, a therapy that has been clinically proven to mitigate relapse and dramatically improve health outcomes.
As a result of their success, Groups plans to expand to at least five more states by the end of 2022, continuing its mission to deliver treatment to all who need it.
“Our vision is to bring our unique model and powerful clinical outcomes to everyone with opioid use disorder – regardless of where they live, how they prefer to access care, or who they are,” said Cooper Zelnick, Chief Revenue Officer. “With our industry-leading outcomes, full virtual capabilities, and physical presence in some of the communities that have been hardest hit by the pandemic, we’re in a great position to save more lives.”
To learn more about Groups Recover Together, visit www.joingroups.com.
About Groups Recover Together:
Groups Recover Together delivers opioid addiction recovery services that are proven to help individuals get their lives back on track. Groups provides fast, easy access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT), using Suboxone (buprenorphine), as well as a program designed to build a sense of community and accountability. In addition, members gain access to services through Groups’ holistic care model, which is backed by the belief that long-term recovery from opioids is tied to social, behavioral and economic factors that aren’t typically addressed in traditional treatment models. Learn more at joingroups.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
