photo by: Bremen Keasey

Avalon Wellness and Recovery Center, at 801 Iowa St. in Lawrence, was a former hotel converted into a 60-bed in-patient center — Lawrence's first.

A Lawrence alcohol and drug treatment center believes new agreements with major insurance companies can open the doors to more clients seeking treatment by lowering costs for its program.

The Avalon Wellness and Recovery Center, 801 Iowa St., announced in a press release Friday it was now an in-network provider with three new health insurance companies: Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna and TRICARE. The center, which has 20 single- and double-occupancy rooms that could host 60 patients, first began treating patients in April, as the Journal-World reported, and already had in-network agreements with Ambetter and Cigna.

Ken Vick, the executive director for Avalon, told the Journal-World the new agreements should make the cost of treatment more affordable for potential patients. Vick said if a potential patient without Ambetter or Cigna insurance came in to seek treatment, the center had to “jump through hoops” with the companies to allow for a “single case agreement,” where they would cover the cost for a patients’ stay.

Even if they were accepted, Vick said costs would be “45-50% higher” for the patient, meaning they were “losing people who were asking for help.” For someone struggling with substance use disorder, that barrier could become detrimental for them to seek treatment.

“If you don’t catch them when they are motivated, there is a good chance they won’t reach out again for quite a while,” Vick said.

For out-of-network patients, Vick said he had seen costs go to between $5,000 to $6,000. In-network costs are less than $2,000, which is a “big, big difference” in how many people the center can serve.

“It should open the door so we can help more people,” Vick said.

Adding those new insurance partnerships also will open up the visibility as well. Vick said in the greater Kansas City-region, Blue Cross Blue Shield is the biggest supplier of health insurance, and now Avalon will be listed as an in-network provider on its website, which could make it easier for patients to find it as an option.

In the nine months since the center has been open, Vick said that 140 patients had come through its program, and the center has had an average of 20 people staying in the residential program — a number he said has been “slowly growing.”

Vick said the center had about 75% of its clients complete the program successfully — much higher than the national rate which he said is “below 50%.” Some of that is because the center has recently opened, but Vick also said that the average length that patients stay for its 28-day program is 30 days. That indicates to him the patients are actively hoping to stay and learn and showcases the good work of the treatment team.

The new insurance agreements will reduce the barriers to clients with private insurance, but Vick said the center has been exploring options to expand its services for patients with other insurance options like Medicare or Medicaid. Vick also said the center has been looking to find properties to expand to or to offer long-term housing, which were both goals that Avalon leadership previously shared with the Journal-World.

Vick said with the expanded access through the new insurance agreements, the center should be able to expedite how quickly it can expand its options to help other people struggling with substance use disorder. Although it is early days for the center, Vick said he is committed to treating people who are struggling in the community.

“We’re devoted to Lawrence and doing this,” Vick said. “It’s a blessing to be here and be able to help.”