Optum, CleanSlate Centers to Expand Access to Opioid Addiction Treatment for Optum Members

High-quality, evidence-based treatment available to Optum members at
15 CleanSlate locations in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Indiana

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–To address the growing national opioid addiction crisis, health services
provider Optum and CleanSlate Centers will expand access to effective,
physician-led addiction treatment options for Optum members.

Optum members now have access to CleanSlate’s multistate network of 15
physician-led outpatient addiction treatment centers in Pennsylvania,
Massachusetts and Indiana. CleanSlate provides medication-assisted
treatment and related therapies for patients who have addiction and
associated disorders using high-quality, evidence-based practices to
give patients the tools and support they need to achieve long-term
success.

For a list of participating CleanSlate facilities, visit http://cleanslatecenters.com/location/.

“Opioid addiction is a life-threatening disease, with the rate of
unintentional overdose quadrupling since 1999. Evidence-based approaches
that combine medicine, accountability and supportive counseling are the
best way to treat people with opioid and alcohol-use disorders,” said
Martin Rosenzweig, M.D., senior medical director of Optum. “CleanSlate’s
substance treatment is rooted in these principles and supports positive
patient outcomes, while reducing costs.”

“Optum recognized that CleanSlate has the ability to expand access to
communities where their members are in need of effective treatment,”
said Greg Marotta, president and CEO of CleanSlate Centers. “The best
way to fight these chronic brain diseases is by working together. With
Optum, we will expand care and give people hope and the ability to
achieve the lives they want and deserve.”

Overdose deaths due to opioids, which include prescription pain
relievers and heroin, are responsible for more deaths than car accidents
and firearms, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. Drug overdose is
now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, with
more than 47,000 lethal drug overdoses in 2014. Opioid addiction is
driving this epidemic, with nearly 19,000 overdose deaths related to
prescription pain relievers, and more than 10,500 overdose deaths
related to heroin in 2014.¹ The number of drug overdoses has
climbed more than 50 percent in the past decade.

Opioid addiction is defined as a primary, chronic and relapsing brain
disease, according to the American
Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) – the nation’s leading
addiction medicine society representing 3,700 physicians, clinicians and
other professionals.

About CleanSlate Centers
CleanSlate Centers was founded in
2009 in response to the growing opioid epidemic facing the country. A
multi-state network of 15 physician-led outpatient addiction treatment
centers, CleanSlate provides medication-assisted treatment and related
therapies for patients who have addiction and associated disorders using
the highest quality, evidence-based practices.

CleanSlate’s proven model of individualized care gives patients the
tools and support they need to achieve long-term success. In recognition
of their innovation and effectiveness, CleanSlate’s treatment programs
received the inaugural 2012 Science and Service Award for Office-based
Opioid Treatment by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Service Administration (SAMHSA).

In 2014 CleanSlate partnered with Apple Tree Partners, a growth equity
fund, to help expand efforts geographically and increase access to care
in underserved communities with demonstrated need. For more information,
visit CleanSlateCenters.com.

About Optum
Optum is a leading information and
technology-enabled health services business dedicated to helping make
the health system work better for everyone. With more than 100,000
people worldwide, Optum delivers intelligent, integrated solutions that
help to modernize the health system and improve overall population
health. Optum is part of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH). For more
information, visit www.Optum.com.

¹Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center
for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality File.
(2015). Number and Age-Adjusted Rates of Drug-poisoning Deaths Involving
Opioid Analgesics and Heroin: United States, 2000–2014. Atlanta, GA:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/health_policy/AADR_drug_poisoning_involving_OA_Heroin_US_2000-2014.pdf.

© 2016 Optum, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Contacts

For CleanSlate
Isaac Squyres, 615-254-0575
isquyres@jarrardinc.com
or
Optum
Lauren
Mihajlov, 952-205-6312
Lauren.mihjalov@optum.com