DENVER, May 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Porch Light Health (PLH) has partnered with CHESS Health to use its innovative, automated Contingency Management Rewards Engine in the treatment of individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) across thirteen of its Colorado locations. PLH’s program, called Porch Light Rewards, motivates patients to stay in Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT), engage in counseling, and not use substances. PLH implemented its rewards program in March.
Steve Carleton, LCSW, CAS-Chief Clinical Officer at PLH, has 20 years of experience in SUD treatment and has seen the value of effective contingency management programs firsthand. “Contingency management is the most effective treatment for stimulant disorder, and it has good outcomes for more complicated patients,” he said. The programs are so critical in the battle against SUD that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services strongly recommends that providers add the protocol to benefit patients.
In the first six weeks after program launch, Porch Light has enrolled over 100 patients in the program, and the feedback from patients and staff has been very positive. Engagement and outcomes are tracked using the CHESS platform; initial data on patient retention improvements will be available in June. Outcomes will be tracked over the next 12 months.
From 2023 to 2024, there was a 28.5% drop in synthetic opioid overdoses due to aggressive steps to get individuals engaged with MAT and widely distributing Narcan to reverse the effects of overdose, Carleton said. With Porch Light Rewards, Carleton hopes to get even more people into treatment and further strengthen patient retention.
The CHESS Health Rewards Engine simplifies contingency management for providers by digitizing all program rules, providing a simple web dashboard for staff to use, automatically delivering rewards to a reloadable debit card given to each patient, using text messages to deliver positive reinforcements, ensuring programs stay in budget and have zero errors, and producing a variety reports and analytics to measure engagement and outcomes.
“Contingency management works, but without automation, it’s really hard for providers to implement and maintain,” said Hans Morefield, CEO of CHESS Health. ”We’re pleased to be making contingency management easy and successful for Porch Light Health, especially across their thirteen locations and with the involvement of more than fifty staff.”
About Porch Light Health
Porch Light Health’s mission (formerly Front Range Clinic), is to provide low-barrier, high-access, quality medical addiction treatment to those affected by substance use disorders and related medical conditions. Porch Light Health offers comprehensive outpatient addiction treatment service for substance use disorders, including Opioids, Alcohol, Stimulants, Sedatives, as well as nicotine and cannabis use. In addition to evidence-based medications for addiction treatment, PLH offers psychiatry, therapy, and treatment for infectious disease and other comorbidities.
For more information about Porch Light Health and its comprehensive addiction treatment services, call 866-MAT-STAT or visit https://porchlighthealth.com.
About CHESS Health
CHESS Health is a leading provider of evidence-based digital behavioral health solutions backed by peer support. These tools empower providers, health plans, and public sector organizations to address the substance use disorder crisis by enhancing prevention, facilitating care coordination, and improving adherence to care plans and treatment retention, ultimately resulting in better health outcomes. For more information, visit www.chess.health.
Media Contact:
Jen Marnowski
Publicist, Porch Light Health
404-309-1137
jmarnowski@gmail.com