Equip is now in-network for Cigna’s members in California, New York, and Texas, easing the financial burden of eating disorder treatment on families
Equip, a company that virtually delivers evidence-based eating disorder treatment to families at home, today announced that customers with Cigna in California, Texas and New York now have access to its network.
“Families should not have to worry about seeking affordable care when they need it most,” said Kristina Saffran, CEO and co-founder of Equip. “By launching additional insurance partnership capabilities, we’re taking a major step in our mission to make gold-standard eating disorder treatment accessible to all people.”
Founded in 2019 by Kristina Saffran and Erin Parks, Ph.D., Equip builds upon Family-Based Treatment (FBT) – a model which empowers families to help their loved ones through recovery – with a five-person dedicated care team, including a peer and family mentor, a medical physician, a therapist and a dietitian. Equip’s fully virtual platform allows families to arrange treatment to fit their schedules and needs.
“Diagnosing and treating an eating disorder can be challenging, even more so during a pandemic. Working with Equip allows our customers access to clinically-validated, virtual care with proven outcomes so they can address and treat the eating disorder head on with an interdisciplinary team,” said Doug Nemecek, MD, Cigna’s chief medical officer for behavioral health.
The company, which raised $13mm earlier this year, currently serves families in California, New York, New Jersey and Texas, and plans to expand its geographic reach throughout 2021 to several states.
Equip, which is currently covered by Optum, has seen remarkable outcomes in its first 6 months of treating patients. Members who have weight restoration goals are gaining an average of 1.2 pounds per week (existing treatment centers report 1 lb per week), and 68% of patients have experienced an improvement in EDE-QS scores, the clinically validated measure for eating disorders.
