Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and MAP Health Management Team Up to Improve Addiction Outcomes – Technology Will Connect Patients in Recovery With Peer Recovery Support Specialists

NEWARK, New Jersey, Oct. 18 -- The Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey issued the following news release:

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) has engaged MAP Health Management (MAP) to improve outcomes for members struggling with a Substance Use Disorder (SUD).

MAP and Horizon BCBSNJ are working together to deploy MAP's tech-enabled Peer Recovery Support service, a discreet and personalized telehealth service for individuals and their family members seeking lasting recovery from addiction. MAP's peer services are designed to support self-care and evidence-based approaches.

"Horizon continues to be an innovator when it comes to preventing and treating substance use disorders in New Jersey, particularly opioid addiction. We know that the journey to recovery is long and difficult and that participating in a peer support program like this dramatically improves a person's chances of achieving long-term success," said Allen Karp, Horizon's Executive Vice President for Healthcare and Transformation Management. "By working with MAP, Horizon is taking another step to increase access to programs and resources that can help our members get and stay on the road to recovery."

"The science clearly demonstrates that addiction is a chronic disease and we embrace the fact that access to longer-term, peer-led support services can be beneficial in helping individuals and families reach and sustain recovery. We are honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with a premier health insurance organization like Horizon as well as New Jersey area treatment providers to help support New Jersey residents," added Jacob Levenson, Founder and CEO of MAP Health Management.

Participating patients will be partnered with a MAP Peer Recovery Support Specialist (PRSS) in a structured outreach program utilizing phone/video session as the primary form of contact.

MAP's PRSS, each of whom has been in recovery for three or more years, are trained and certified and work under the direction and supervision of a Medical Director who specializes in addiction as well as registered nurses, or licensed clinical social workers.Their life experience and training make them uniquely suited to support the recovery of patients and their families and detect relapse behaviors and/or deterioration. This early detection allows the PRSS to directly assist patients in course correction and increases the probability of positive outcomes.

To date, MAP has deployed their program in many states across the US helping thousands of individuals and families transition to a balanced, healthy life and find long-term recovery.

Through the Horizon program, MAP's PRSS will initially be made available to Horizon's commercially insured members who are referred by the insurer's Behavioral Health Case Management team or an approved treatment provider. The costs of the program are fully covered by Horizon and eligible members will incur no deductible, co-pay, coinsurance or other cost-sharing for participating.

Horizon is engaging a group of SUD treatment providers for priority engagement with a focus on those treating a significant number of its members or that have demonstrated a commitment to working closely with Horizon to deliver high quality, patient-centered and efficient care. These providers will be the first to integrate MAP's PRSS into their treatment plans. As with any new initiative, Horizon is planning a phased integration of the program to eventually make it available to other providers and all members.

Horizon will also expand its work combating addiction in Elizabeth, NJ by building on its existing partnership with Trinitas Regional Medical Center. Since 2017, Horizon has funded a full time Recovery Specialist at Trinitas' ED who intervenes bedside and works with patients struggling with a SUD to identify and help them access available treatment programs. Horizon provides this support to anyone, regardless of insurance status, presenting at Trinitas. Horizon will now also pay for and provide access to MAP's Peer Recovery Support services for any patient with SUD presenting at the Trinitas Emergency Department.

Programs and initiatives combating SUD, particularly opioid abuse, were one of the priorities identified by Horizon BCBSNJ in the plan it announced in February that devotes $125 million in federal tax savings to significant health care initiatives over the next five years. Other priorities include improving the integration of medical and behavioral health, increasing access to primary health care, and addressing social determinants of health.

About Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state's oldest and largest health insurer is a tax-paying, not-for-profit health service corporation, providing a wide array of medical, dental, vision and prescription insurance products and services. Horizon BCBSNJ is leading the transformation of health care in New Jersey by working with doctors and hospitals to deliver innovative, patient-centered programs that reward the quality, not quantity, of care patients receive. Learn more at www.HorizonBlue.com

About MAP Health Management, LLC.

From its inception in 2011, MAP's mission has been to improve outcomes for the millions of people annually diagnosed and treated for a Substance Use Disorder through a tech-enabled adaptive engagement model. MAP delivers post-acute and long-term recovery support, predictive analytics and outcomes reporting - all designed to improve health outcomes for individuals and reduce preventable healthcare cost such as high-cost admissions and readmissions. For more information, visithttps://www.thisismap.com.https://www.thisismap.com. opens a dialog window