Symetria Recovery®'s Naperville and Des Plaines Locations Designated as Blue Distinction® Centers for Substance Use Treatment and Recovery

CHICAGO, Nov. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- To help patients suffering from a substance use disorder find facilities that deliver quality treatment and care, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) recognizes Symetria Recovery^®'s Naperville and Des Plaines, IL locations as two of the first facilities to receive the Blue Distinction^® Center for Substance Use Treatment and Recovery (BDC Substance Use Treatment and Recovery) designation – a new designation under the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated facilities that show a commitment to delivering improved patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed with input from the community and leading accreditation and quality organizations.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose, which highlights the seriousness of the opioid epidemic and how critical it is for patients to receive comprehensive, meaningful care. The BDC Substance Use Treatment and Recovery program requires designated facilities to deliver coordinated multidisciplinary care to patients and provide timely access to quality medical and psychosocial care in all phases of treatment. Designated facilities must also offer medication-assisted treatment (MAT) – a way to treat opioid addiction that includes a medication component and behavioral therapy.

"Symetria Recovery is committed to providing evidence-based treatment that addresses the whole person, not just the addictive behavior. We are proud that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois has recognized our unique approach to opioid dependency with this very important distinction," said Chris Hassan, CEO, Symetria Health. "The opioid epidemic impacts patients, families and communities across Illinois and the entire country. Through this accreditation program, BCBSIL has shown its commitment to standing with all its members in sickness and in health by improving patient care for those suffering from opioid use disorder. We're honored to have their endorsement as we continue to pursue our mission of providing state-of-the-art, comprehensive care that keeps patients in treatment, prevents relapses, and reduces overdose fatalities." 

"Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is proud to offer this important recognition," said Derek Robinson, MD, MBA, FACEP, CHCQM, chief medical officer, BCBSIL. "It's one of the ways we're partnering with members, employers, providers and communities to help achieve their health goals."

Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality specialty care in the areas of bariatric surgery, cancer care, cardiac care, cellular immunotherapy, fertility care, gene therapy, knee and hip replacements, maternity care, spine surgery, substance use treatment and recovery, and transplants, while encouraging health care professionals to improve the care they deliver. Research for many programs shows that, compared to other providers, those designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients.

For more information about the program and for a complete listing of the designated facilities, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.

About Symetria Recovery^®
Symetria Recovery^® is an innovative network of outpatient opioid treatment centers committed to providing state-of-the-art, evidence-based treatment that addresses the whole person, not just the addictive behavior. Its unique approach to opioid dependency is known as The Symetria Method^®. This method combines medication-assisted treatment (MAT), psychiatry, and support from a single treatment team of behavioral health, medical and psychiatric professionals to reduce the risk of relapse and give patients sustainable results. Symetria Recovery's highly-successful outcomes have been validated by an independent, retrospective analysis of more than 1.5 billion commercial claims from 3+ million OUD patients for the past five years. The analysis demonstrated superior results on all metrics when compared with treatment as usual. To learn more, please visit www.symetriarecovery.com.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) is committed to expanding access to quality, cost-effective health care to as many people as possible in Illinois. BCBSIL is dedicated to innovation and exploring, nurturing and activating future possibilities to make the health care system work better for our members and our communities. BCBSIL is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Learn more at bcbsil.com and follow @BCBSIL on twitter and @bluecrossblueshieldofillinois on Facebook.

All trademarks listed above are the property of their respective owners and used for identification purposes only, and are in no way associated or affiliated with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Use of these trademarks does not imply endorsement.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health Index. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit bcbs.com. We also encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter.

About Blue Distinction Centers
Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures for patient safety and outcomes, developed with input from the medical community. A Local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for providers located in its own service area; for details, contact your Local Blue Plan. Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also met cost measures that address consumers' need for affordable health care. Each provider's cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Providers in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two Local Blue Plans' areas, resulting in two evaluations for cost of care; and their own Local Blue Plans decide whether one or both cost of care evaluation(s) must meet BDC+ national criteria. National criteria for BDC and BDC+ are displayed on www.bcbs.com. Individual outcomes may vary. For details on a provider's in-network status or your own policy's coverage, contact your Local Blue Plan and ask your provider before making an appointment. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any Blue Plans are responsible for non-covered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/symetria-recoverys-naperville-and-des-plaines-locations-designated-as-blue-distinction-centers-for-substance-use-treatment-and-recovery-300953784.html

SOURCE Symetria Health