Blue Cross NC Invests in Addiction Treatment Provider

Eleanor Health, an addiction and mental health services provider designed to deliver long-term patient recovery outcomes and modeled on value-based care delivery and payments, launched its first outpatient clinic in Mooresville, North Carolina. It is the first of 10 to 15 Eleanor Health sites set to open in the next year, first in North Carolina and then across the country.

As the company begins operations in North Carolina, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) is collaborating with Eleanor Health to expand access to its treatment services.

"The prevalence of substance use disorders, especially fueled by the opioid epidemic, is a national public health emergency," says Patrick Conway, MD, president and CEO of Blue Cross NC. "There simply aren't enough high-quality facilities and clinical teams to effectively treat everyone at all stages of their recovery, so we partnered with (investor Town Hall Ventures) to build and launch Eleanor Health.”

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Eleanor Health is rethinking how to treat addiction-now the leading cause of death in America for those under aged 50 years-by fully treating addiction as a chronic disease. Eleanor Health will focus on clinical and non-clinical factors to manage the disease and provide both human and high-tech support. This includes comprehensive treatment, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid and other substance use disorders.

The Eleanor Health approach is designed to meet patients where they are in their recovery journey, through outpatient clinics, community settings, and at home through technology and field-based teams, the company states. It is designed to be financially accountable for long-term, whole-person outcomes. 

"We launched Eleanor Health to help people with addiction challenges live amazing lives by providing evidence-based, whole-person treatment for substance use disorders and mental health. We are committed to treating these conditions as chronic medical illnesses requiring long-term management, and to being reimbursed based on positive health outcomes," says Eleanor Health CEO and co-founder Corbin Petro. "We are leveraging data and new technology to enhance in-person clinical service delivery and building a world-class team committed to our mission and vision."