• Accolade and Equip offer employers purpose-built integrations to address barriers to eating disorder treatment.

SEATTLE, June 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Accolade, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACCD), the company that provides millions of people and their families with Personalized Healthcare, has partnered with Equip, a virtual evidence-based treatment program that helps patients recover from eating disorders at home. This addition to Accolade's Trusted Partner Ecosystem brings critical new services to individuals struggling with an eating disorder, providing a safe and effective environment for recovery aligned to the gold standard for treating eating disorders.

Eating disorders, impacting nearly one in 10 Americans, are mental health illnesses with serious physical health implications and have the second highest mortality rate of all mental health disorders, following opioid addiction. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, eating disorder rates have risen dramatically, with hospital admissions doubling. Recovery from an eating disorder can take years, even decades, and can involve recurring relapses that require cycling in and out of higher levels of care at facilities that may have long waitlists for treatment availability.

"Eating disorders are underserved and complex conditions, and individuals and families often face a long and hard road to recovery," said Dr. Shantanu Nundy, chief health officer at Accolade. "Through their empowering, virtual model, Equip removes barriers to care — like timely access and high costs — that further complicate treatment. Growing our Trusted Partner Ecosystem with partners like Equip not only increases members' access to these healthcare innovations, but it truly can change lives."

Equip connects each patient with a dedicated five-person, coordinated care team — including a medical physician, dietitian, therapist, peer mentor and family mentor. The team features a combination of clinical expertise and lived experience support from all racial, ethnic, sexual and gender identities — mirroring the range of individuals affected by eating disorders.

"For an illness that asks a person to fight their own brain at least six times a day, it's cruel to ask them to go through treatment alone," said Kristina Saffran, co-founder and CEO at Equip. "We know that overcoming an eating disorder requires a village – so we surround patients with clinical experts, people with lived experience, and their loved ones – to help them feel hopeful and reach long-term, lasting recovery."

Equip's research-based model lowers costs for patients and their families while providing successful outcomes. After eight weeks of treatment, eight out of 10 patients report a reduction in eating disorder symptoms, almost three in four patients report improvements in mood, and 75% of families report feeling more confident in caring for their child.

Equip is in-network with major insurance plans and its network continues to grow. Equip's addition to Accolade's Trusted Partner Ecosystem will provide many Accolade customers with purpose-built integrations that help address barriers to eating disorder care while also raising awareness of their cost-saving, innovative virtual care model.

Launched in 2019, Accolade's Trusted Partner Ecosystem is the first in the industry to bring together multiple benefits solutions through a single front door for employers, which helps to simplify benefits and drive a more integrated experience for members. When employers work with Accolade's Trusted Partners, they confidently select from high-quality, thoroughly vetted solutions that yield streamlined purchasing and implementation for customers, enhanced features, and ultimately, incremental appropriate utilization. Learn more about our Trusted Partners here.

About Accolade 

Accolade (Nasdaq: ACCD) is a Personalized Healthcare company that provides millions of people and their families with exceptional healthcare experiences so they can live their healthiest lives. Accolade's employer, health plan, and consumer solutions combine virtual primary care and mental health, expert medical opinion, and best-in-class care navigation. These offerings are built on a platform that is engineered to care through predictive engagement of population health needs, proactive care that improves outcomes and cost savings, and by addressing barriers to access and continuity of care. Accolade consistently receives consumer satisfaction ratings of over 90%. For more information, visit accolade.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About Equip

Equip is the leading virtual, evidence-based eating disorder treatment program on a mission to ensure that everyone with an eating disorder can access treatment that works. Created by clinical experts in the field and people with lived experience, Equip builds upon evidence-based treatments to empower individuals to reach lasting recovery. All Equip patients receive a dedicated care team, including a therapist, dietitian, physician, and mentors. The company operates in all 50 states and is partnered with most major health insurance plans. For more information, visit equip.health.