The Science Behind The 2030 Vision for American Addiction Centers and How it will Revolutionize The Treatment of Addiction
BRENTWOOD, Tenn., May 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In early May, Michael Cartwright, the CEO of American Addiction Centers (NYSE: AAC), outlined his 2030 vision for the company. At the core of the vision is a scientific approach to take personalized medicine to a new level. Utilizing pharmacogenetics, brain imaging, nutraceuticals and advanced technology, Cartwright believes investing in the latest sciences gives patients struggling with drug and alcohol addiction the best possible outcomes.
"Addiction treatment lags behind many other areas of medicine when it comes to research and innovation," says Cartwright. "This is one of the main reasons why we decided to go public in order to have access to capital to invest in revolutionizing the treatment of this disease."
Dr. Mark Calarco, AAC's national medical director for clinical diagnostics and the CEO of Addiction Labs, worked alongside Cartwright in developing the plan. He has nearly 30 years of experience in both clinical and laboratory medicine.
Calarco explains the science behind the core elements of AAC's 2030 plan. He stresses that the strategies highlighted in the 2030 plan aim to reduce the "trial and error" approach and cognitive bias so prevalent in medicine today.
- Focusing on Pharmacogenetics - "Pharmacogenetics testing gives us the ability to tailor medication choices to each patient's unique DNA, which is particularly important in a recovery setting when there is a narrow window of time to effectively treat the patient," says Calarco. "We get two key bits of information from this testing - how the patient metabolizes different drugs and if he/she has certain genetic traits that put them at risk for addiction or a mental health condition, such as depression or bipolar disorder. While this is still an emerging field, it is one of many clinically valuable tools that can help us to truly offer personalized medicine."
- Implementing Brain Scans - "PET and SPECT scans are FDA-approved for psychiatric indications and mental health, and have a high predictive value, yet most treatment providers aren't utilizing the technology because it's not mainstream or covered by most insurers," says Calarco. "These scans can be used to monitor functional activity in the brain and match patterns that correlate with addiction and behavioral health disorders. They can also help identify other brain disorders like dementia and Alzheimer's."
To better understand the potential impact of brain scans, Calarco points to a recent study featured in HealthDay where scientists were able to identify people with PTSD who were on the brink of suicide based on chemical changes in the brain.
- Expanding Access to Nutraceuticals - "Nutraceuticals can serve as an adjunct or even a primary treatment option for some patients, offering a lower risk for side effects with better overall compliance," says Calarco. "For example, high doses of Omega-3 can lower inflammation, and vitamins B6, B9, and B-12 can lower the inflammatory amino acid homocysteine. We know that high inflammation levels can interact with our genes and immune system and cause abnormal shifts in mood and behavior. In fact, more and more research is supporting the benefits of nutraceuticals for their ability to reduce inflammation and increase dopamine and serotonin levels. One study in the American Journal of Psychiatry found several nutraceuticals helped to reduce depressive symptoms when taken as an adjunct with antidepressants. We are continuing to explore all the benefits of nutraceuticals for treating those with addiction and co-occurring mental health conditions and plan to offer them as an additional service through AAC."
- Investing in Medical Technology - "The medications we use to treat addiction and behavioral disorders have a 30 to 40% failure rate, meaning people don't always respond to them," says Calarco. "This is why our plan also includes investing in non-invasive FDA-approved medical technologies, such as TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) and Bridge-like medical devices. TMS uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve symptoms of depression, whereas the Bridge-like device can help reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms and chronic pain. We also plan to develop an app to make addiction resources more accessible and convenient to our patients and the general public from their phones, and allow us to connect in a new way to those who need ongoing support in achieving long-term recovery."
Calarco is excited about AAC's future but doesn't expect everyone to buy into AAC's vision at first. In fact, he says that's a sign AAC is on the right track.
"When things are cutting edge or innovative people often have a hard time getting on board until it's mainstream," he says. "With tens of thousands of people dying every year from this disease, we don't have time to wait on them. We must continue to forge ahead and be the leader in the industry."
About American Addiction Centers
American Addiction Centers (NYSE: AAC) is a leading provider of inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment services. We treat clients who are struggling with drug addiction, alcohol addiction, and co-occurring mental/behavioral health issues. We currently operate substance abuse treatment facilities located throughout the United States. These facilities are focused on delivering effective clinical care and treatment solutions. For more information, please find us at AmericanAddictionCenters.org or follow us on Twitter @AAC_Tweet.
Forward Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “may,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements may include information concerning AAC Holdings, Inc.’s (collectively with its subsidiaries; “AAC Holdings” or the “Company”) possible or assumed future results of operations, including descriptions of the Company’s revenue, profitability, outlook and overall business strategy. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results and performance to be materially different from the information contained in the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, without limitation: (i) the Company’s inability to effectively operate its facilities; (ii) the Company’s reliance on its sales and marketing program to continuously attract and enroll clients; (iii) a reduction in reimbursement rates by certain third-party payors for inpatient and outpatient services and point-of-care and definitive lab testing; (iv) the Company’s failure to successfully achieve growth through acquisitions and de novo projects; (v) risks associated with estimates of the value of accounts receivable or deterioration in collectability of accounts receivable; (vi) a failure to achieve anticipated financial results from contemplated and prior acquisitions; (vii) the possibility that a governmental entity may prohibit, delay or refuse to grant approval for the consummation of an acquisition; (viii) the Company’s failure to achieve anticipated financial results from contemplated and prior acquisitions; (ix) a disruption in the Company’s ability to perform diagnostic laboratory services; (x) maintaining compliance with applicable regulatory authorities, licensure and permits to operate the Company’s facilities and laboratories; (xi) a disruption in the Company’s business and reputational and economic risks associated with the civil securities claims brought by shareholders or claims by various parties; (xii) inability to meet the covenants in the Company’s loan documents or lack of borrowing capacity; and (xiii) general economic conditions, as well as other risks discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this release will prove to be accurate. Investors should not place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements.
Contact
Joy Sutton, 615-727-8407
[email protected]
SOURCE American Addiction Centers
Share this article