Gateway Health & WEconnect Health Management Launch Innovative Addiction Recovery Program

PENNSYLVANIA, May 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, healthcare-technology company WEconnect Health Management announced a partnership with Gateway Health for an innovative program designed to help patients stay in recovery. Residents of Pennsylvania enrolled in Gateway Health who undergo substance abuse disorder (SUD) treatment will use WEconnect's app after they leave in-patient treatment, providing them with a comprehensive network of support during their first year of recovery.

Every year, 23 million Americans seek treatment for drug and alcohol addiction and more than 80 percent of patients relapse after treatment. Pennsylvania's rate of drug-related overdose deaths far exceeds the national average. WEconnect's innovative app reduces relapse rates by providing comprehensive and reliable tracking metrics to bridge the gap from treatment to recovery, taking a 28-day program and turning it into a 365-day program.

"Gateway Health is the first health insurance company to offer a technical platform that provides this proven, rewards-based recovery program to patients," says Glenn Pomerantz, M.D., Senior Vice President Health Services, Gateway Health. "This partnership presents the opportunity to reverse the devastating trend of substance use disorder in Pennsylvania. Gateway Health is committed to identifying ways to help people find appropriate treatment for successful recovery."

WEconnect provides patients with a network of support after they leave treatment facilities, setting up easy check-ins with counselors and offering activities that support continued recovery. WEconnect positively reinforces those verifiable recovery activities with vouchers and incentives. WEconnect also tracks treatment plan routines and identifies the risk of relapse before it happens so a patient's personal support networks and providers can intervene. 

"Relapse rates are highest during the first year of recovery," says Will Wenger, Director of Product Strategy & Development, Behavioral Health for Gateway Health. "In creating this program with WEconnect, we are putting proven techniques to use so we can keep more residents in recovery and build a healthier future for our members and the state of Pennsylvania."

WEconnect was co-founded by tech entrepreneur Daniela Tudor and former French Open Champion Murphy Jensen to provide a resource they felt was missing from their own recovery journeys – a technology solution that is both empathetic and data-driven.

"Addiction in Pennsylvania and throughout the country has become an epidemic," Tudor said. "The WEconnect app provides a 24/7 recovery coach in the pockets of every patient leaving treatment. It leverages data for improved outcomes and has helped thousands of patients stay in recovery. Our mission is to save lives and we believe this partnership with Gateway Health will do just that." 

The app includes several key features that are proven to reduce relapse rates by addressing the primary reasons for relapse:

• Identifying Relapse Before It Happens - Proprietary Relapse Risk Level
• WEconnect's patent-pending algorithm provides real time updates on patient risk to their support team so they can step in and provide extra help in critical moments.
• Positive Reinforcement for Treatment Plan - Location-Verified Incentives System
• WEconnect incorporates an innovative contingency management-based rewards system, which has been shown to improve abstinence by 17 percent vs. control groups. GPS verification ensures accountability.
• Helping Treatment Center Staff Improve Outcomes - WEconnect Data Dashboard
• Designed for treatment center staff, the WEconnect dashboard allows counselors, case managers, and therapists to view group and individual progress including predictive indicators for patients who are at high risk of relapse.

First released in 2016, the app is currently used by thousands of patients across the United States. In Pennsylvania, WEconnect will be available to Gateway Members at treatment providers Allegheny Health Network, Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley and more.

About WEconnect Health Management
WEconnect Health Management provides evidence-based addiction recovery technology to reduce relapse rates, save lives and support healthy communities. WEconnect reduces relapse, keeps individuals accountable, connected to community support and helps them thrive in recovery. Weconnect is used by treatment providers across the United States, including Volunteers of America, Straight & Narrow and Progress House, where it has the opportunity to reach more than 20 thousand patients post-treatment.

For more information on WEconnect, visit www.weconnectrecovery.com.

About Gateway Health
Gateway Health is a leading managed care organization that believes total health and wellness cannot be attained by simply providing access to health care. In addition to physical health, Gateway Health addresses behavioral health and socioeconomic challenges of nearly 550,000 members across Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Delaware, and West Virginia. Gateway Health's 1,800 associates focus on enhancing the lives of plan members through innovative care models and tailored approaches to health management, delivered in partnership with a robust network of more than 80,000 primary care physicians, specialists, hospitals, and other ancillary providers. On a broader scale, Gateway Health is embedded in neighborhoods, providing meaningful programs and outreach to the community-at-large. Meeting members where they are, coupled with a commitment to treating the whole person is what enables each of them to say, "I'm Good with Gateway."

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SOURCE Gateway Health