Putting a Face on Recovery

Greg Williams was 17 when he entered a residential treatment facility in Pennsylvania for addiction. Almost immediately, the program called his parents and said that the family’s insurance was going to cut their son off. Williams’ parents did what they needed to keep their son in treatment, even if it meant assuming the entire financial burden of the care.

Six months later, with Greg in recovery, the family petitioned the insurance company for payment—and was rejected. A second appeal, a year later, was also turned down. Connecticut, where the family resided, allowed for a third appeal, this time to an outside party, which finally overturned the ruling and compelled the insurer to pay.

Now, 20 years on, Williams is part of a movement to revolutionize the way addiction is both treated and paid for. A filmmaker and advocate, and managing partner at Third Horizon Strategies, Williams oversees The Alliance for Addiction Payment Reform, a national collaboration of healthcare stakeholders with the dual aim of improving outcomes and bringing down costs in SUD treatment. The Alliance’s 2018 proposal, called the Addiction Recovery Medical Home-Alternative Payment Model (ARMH-APM), is one of several transformative approaches to addiction treatment that incorporate the principles of value-based care, and that promise in the coming years to change the experience of SUD treatment for providers, payers and—most importantly—patients.

Today, we will be kicking off the month of April with a new theme: The Recovery Process. We will be discussing topics surrounding denial, rock bottoms, working the 12 steps, and several others. We will be hearing several amazing recovery stories this month from experts in the field.

Let me briefly introduce Landmark Recovery to listeners who may be new here. This podcast is a production of Landmark Recovery, which is a network of treatment centers growing rapidly across the country. Our mission is to save one million lives in the next 100 years from the vicious cycle of addiction. We accept most major insurances, self-pay, and Medicaid specifically at our Praxis by Landmark Recovery locations.

Transcript

Choose Recovery Over Addiction

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About the Author

Landmark Recovery

Landmark Recovery was founded with a determination to make addiction treatment accessible for all. Through our integrated treatment programs, we've helped thousands of people choose recovery over addiction and get back to life on their own terms. We're on a mission to save one million lives over the next century. We encourage all those struggling with substance use to seek professional help.