Pear Therapeutics, Groups Recover Together Announce Partnership

Prescription digital therapeutics firm Pear Therapeutics and Groups Recover Together, an outpatient opioid use disorder treatment provider with operations in eight states, have announced a partnership to deliver their respective services together in Indiana.

The deal will pair Groups’ clinical, fully virtual model that incorporates medication-assisted treatment and group counseling with Pear’s reSET-O, a prescription digital therapeutic that is designed to increase retention of OUD patients in outpatient treatment through the implementation of cognitive behavior therapy.

“At Groups, individuals facing OUD see better recovery outcomes thanks in part to our model that leverages three pillars of care – medication, therapy and care navigation – in order to address the biological and underlying causes of addiction,” Stephanie Stitt, Indiana clinical director at Groups, said in a news release. “Utilizing Pear’s reSET-O provides us with yet another outlet for treatment and helps us further enable our mission to expand access to innovative, multi-faceted opioid use disorder treatment options.”

The move for Groups is an extension of its shift toward digital delivery of care. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic last March, Groups pivoted to an entirely virtual model in which its 6,000 members engage with counselors and physicians weekly. In the five ensuing months, Groups says key metrics evaluating the full virtual model, including patient retention, attendance and abstinence from illicit opioids, were consistent with data from the company’s face-to-face care delivered in the prior five months.