Addressing the challenge of substance abuse
Rapid access to addiction treatment is crucial but limited due to long wait lists and other complexities such as geography and stigma. This results in increased cost to the health care system through emergency hospital visits, acute and chronic medication complications, loss of work, and other social issues like homelessness and increased incarceration rates.
The three vendors on the vendor of record are Breaking Free Group, Mensante, and Wagon Health Solutions. Benefits of leveraging these substance use disorder tools include:
Value of virtual tools
Online therapies provide timely care and support to those suffering with mental health and addiction issues. The tools provided help engage people in managing their addiction problems, and if applicable, maintain abstinence.
Supporting Research:
- Can persons with a history of multiple addiction treatment episodes benefit from technology delivered behavior therapy? A moderating role of treatment history at baseline.
- Tapping onto the Potential of Smartphone Applications for Psycho-Education and Early Intervention in Addictions
- Trends in Telemedicine use in addiction treatment
Select a vendor to learn more about solutions
OTN has qualified the following three vendors who offer virtual care solutions that can lead to reduced substance consumption and substance dependence, improved mental health, quality of life and recovery progression, and increased resilience and self-efficacy.
Breaking Free™
Breaking Free™ is an engaging, interactive and highly personalized digital recovery support program for substance dependence (watch a video overview). It utilizes proven behavioural science and is shown by extensive peer-reviewed research to be effective at helping people overcome addiction to a wide range of substances – including alcohol, opioids, stimulants and prescribed medications – and associated mental health difficulties (download a summary or see the publications). Accessible 24/7 on any device, the program gives patients a powerful toolkit of psychoeducation, practical resources and positive coping skills to support their long-term recovery. It is complemented by a Companion app that further strengthens relapse prevention. Breaking Free Online can be used as self-directed treatment since every screen is accompanied by full English and French voiceovers; or it can be delivered as Computer-Assisted Therapy by counsellors and practitioners who are trained via an e-learning platform. The solution is versatile and can be used to manage waiting lists, deliver structured treatment in a one-to-one or group format, treat patients at distance, and strengthen aftercare and continuing care approaches. A live online dashboard allows its reach and impact to be tracked in real time.
FeelingBetterNow®
FeelingBetterNow® is a confidential, evidence-based, personalized, and scalable solution available online and on mobile that can support alcohol and substance use disorder. A virtual solution by Mensante Corporation, FeelingBetterNow offers a personalized action plan for the patient and the provider. The approach is based on DSM-5 assessment criteria and treatment options are developed with the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments and American Psychiatric Association clinical guidelines. The solution provides an evidence-based assessment tool and connects individuals to a personalized and immediate action plan for self-help or collaborative care with a counsellor, action plan psychologist, or physician. Self-care tools and resources are provided that are both general and condition specific, including things like books and publications, online therapy, apps and games, and helpful websites.
Wagon
Wagon, by Wagon Health Solutions, is Canada’s first clinical care app for addiction that enables healthcare providers to monitor and connect with patients digitally. Each patient has a personalized recovery plan, emergency supports, coping strategies, a journal, and more. The clinical dashboard provides clinicians with a real-time overview of each patient, including recovery plan completion, current triggers, and feelings. For those who need more support, Wagon provides a safe and secure video counselling platform where individual and group therapy sessions can be hosted.
Features:
- Android and iOS app for patients that includes goal tracking, daily review of emotions and triggers, coping strategies, reminders, journal, and emergency resources
- Web-based clinical dashboard that allows clinicians to create recovery plans and monitor compliance and provides alerts for at-risk patients
- Zoom video counselling. Clinicians can create and host individual or group therapy sessions for remote clients. Zoom is HIPPA compliant.
Benefits of Innovative Procurement
OTN uses a rigorous process to identify and qualify transformative virtual care solutions by evaluating clinical and business outcomes, privacy, security, and technical requirements.
An innovative procurement approach is applied to these provincial Vendor of Record arrangements, each of which has been supported by all 14 of Ontario’s Local Health Integration Networks and the MOHLTC.
The result is the opportunity to acquire effective and scalable virtual care offerings that address a wide range of health care needs and priorities. Health care organizations can leverage a streamlined, efficient, cost-effective and compliant procurement process to easily acquire validated solutions at the best price through OTN’s status as a Broader Public Sector institution.
For more information about the innovative procurement and qualification process visit our Health Care Solution Provider space.
