Payer Partnership Aims to Increase Virtual Opioid Use Disorder Resources

A new collaboration between Bicycle Health and Evernorth aims to integrate virtual resources for opioid use disorder (OUD) into a behavioral health network to improve patient access to care.

As the prevalence of virtual strategies continues to grow in healthcare, providers and payers are increasingly entering into partnerships to offer access to digital healthcare services.

Evernorth, the health services branch of Cigna Corporation, provides its clients with a behavioral health network. Bicycle Health offers a virtual care program for OUD. Through the new partnership, all Evernorth clients, and Cigna health plan members covered through their employer or marketplace exchange plans in 24 states, will be able to access Bicycle Health's virtual OUD program.

The program includes virtual patient access to behavioral health clinicians who can provide customized care plans and prescriptions. Users will also participate in an enrollment call to give feedback on the program.

“We need innovative ways to help those looking to overcome opioid use disorder, and Bicycle Health provides a new option to care for our clients and customers,” said Doug Nemecek, chief medical officer of behavioral health at Evernorth, in a press release.

By expanding access to the virtual program, Evernorth aims to address the absence of sufficient OUD treatment in the United States. According to the Office of the Inspector General of the US Department of Health and Human Services, about 40 percent of counties do not have medication-assisted treatment providers for OUD patients, and 56 percent of counties report limited capacity to treat OUD patients in need.

Also, according to research published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, almost 90 percent of patients with OUD do not have sufficient access to medication.

However, the organizations believe adding virtual resources to the behavioral health network will enhance treatment access.

“Together, we’ll be able to provide a virtual treatment plan that creates more access that’s available when and where people need it in a convenient and comfortable way,” said Nemecek.

The rising incidence of OUD and the recent rapid increases in telehealth resources has led many organizations to offer virtual care treatment options for the condition.

For example, in August, the University of Michigan found telehealth helpful for veterans with OUD, providing various benefits such as increased access to buprenorphine. Researchers made this conclusion based on the increase in buprenorphine use throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as patients using audio and video-based telehealth engaged in care consistently.

In May, University of Virginia researchers created a smartphone application-based resource that they believed would be highly effective in treating patients with OUD. Including features such as a provider message board, the app aimed to assist OUD patients regardless of location through accessible communication with physicians.