Coverage now includes cannabis, cocaine, and methamphetamine as employer adoption soars from one in 2023 to more than 100 today
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Carrum Health, the leader in value-based Centers of Excellence (COE) for specialty care, today announced it has expanded the range of covered substances in its substance use disorder treatment program to include cannabis, sedatives, and stimulants—including cocaine, methamphetamine, and misused ADHD medications—responding to urgent employer demand for comprehensive solutions to a significant and growing workforce challenge.
The expansion offers members access to value-based bundled treatment for nearly all substances, in addition to alcohol and opioid use which Carrum launched in October 2024. Employer adoption has accelerated rapidly, growing from one Fortune 50 retail pilot partner in 2023 to more than 100 clients today using Carrum’s substance use treatment solution. The continued increase in demand has been fueled by rising substance use rates and the reality that the bulk of treatment expenses occur out-of-network.
The numbers reveal a troubling shift, with twenty-nine million1 U.S. employees—one in six working adults—struggling with substance use disorder. Today, 10% of U.S. employees struggle with cannabis or stimulant use disorders, driven by proliferating cannabis dispensaries and increasing stimulant availability.
Why cannabis and stimulant use is accelerating
The landscape has changed dramatically. More than 15,000 cannabis dispensaries2 now operate across 41 states3, with THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) potency increasing 35% since legalization. Compounding the problem: dangerous misconceptions that cannabis isn’t harmful or addictive, and that stimulants enhance productivity and success4. Both narratives are false, and both are fueling workplace substance use.
Stimulant prescriptions have surged 20% year-over-year to 80,000 annually5. Nearly one-third of those prescriptions are written at medium-to-high doses. Simultaneously, cocaine and methamphetamine have become increasingly deadly as they can both frequently be laced with fentanyl, a cheaper synthetic opioid used as a filler. Users seeking the short-lived dopamine spikes these stimulants produce often unknowingly consume lethal doses of fentanyl.
“We spent the past year fine tuning our opioid and alcohol use programs—then members started coming to us for cannabis, cocaine and other substances, and we realized we didn’t have an option for them that met Carrum’s high standards for care, and that didn’t sit right,” said Christoph Dankert, Carrum Health’s Chief Network Officer. “So we did what we’ve always done, we listened to our employer partners’ needs and we built a solution to address them using our considerable experience and proven model.”
The cost crisis is equally stark. Behavioral health leads all specialties in out-of-network spending at 25-30%. Within that category, substance use treatment facilities have seen costs surge up to 40% out-of-network — the steepest increase in any healthcare segment, according to a Harvard Medical School study published in Health Affairs. This aligns with employer experience: 73% report increased utilization, and 90% expect further demand growth, according to Business Group on Health’s 2026 annual employer healthcare survey.
Fortune 50 retailer pilots successful model
In 2023-24, Carrum first piloted alcohol and opioid use treatment with a Fortune 50 retailer, which faced dual challenges: escalating out-of-network costs and concerns about treatment effectiveness for employees. The pilot’s success, demonstrating both clinical outcomes and cost savings, provided the foundation for national expansion.
Within the first year, Carrum’s model demonstrated its effectiveness by reducing readmission rates to half of the industry average.
Fortune 50, 100 and 500 employers in retail, manufacturing, transportation, and safety-sensitive industries are leading adoption, driven by workforce productivity concerns and the need for an accountable, high-quality treatment network.
Proven framework, comprehensive coverage
Carrum developed its cannabis, stimulant and sedative treatment bundles using frameworks proven through its opioid and alcohol programs. Providers are held accountable for recovery outcomes through bundled payments covering the full treatment episode, so they maximize the outcomes that matter (sobriety or reduction in problematic use) instead of just discharging patients as quickly as possible for the lowest cost per day.
Carrum’s nationwide network includes rigorously vetted COEs such as Hazelden Betty Ford, Recovery Centers of America and The Meadows Behavioral Healthcare, evaluated for evidence-based treatments, readmission rates, sustained sobriety, and continuity of support.
When a member seeks help, a licensed counselor conducts a confidential intake and connects them to the appropriate provider within one day. Each patient is matched to their needed level of care, whether it’s inpatient detox, residential treatment, intensive outpatient, or partial hospitalization, following American Society for Addiction Medicine guidelines.
As the only true value-based COE model for substance use treatment, Carrum brings the provider accountability it pioneered for cancer care (30% savings) and the bundled payment approach proven in surgery (45% savings) to addiction treatment. The result: up to 45% cost savings through fewer readmissions and appropriate care levels, tackling the arbitrary pricing and relapse cycles that have plagued the industry for decades.
About Carrum Health
Carrum Health’s mission is to change how we pay for and deliver specialty care. We offer self-insured employers and plan sponsors a value-based Centers of Excellence (COE) solution that connects their members with a rigorously vetted network of specialty care providers. Carrum’s upfront, all-inclusive bundled pricing, award-winning technology, and dedicated care navigation team help lower costs for both members and employers while delivering a superior member experience. Carrum is independently validated to reduce unnecessary procedures by as much as 30%, lower readmissions by 80%, and save employers up to 45% per episode of surgical care. Learn more at carrumhealth.com.
1 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) annual 2024 survey
2 Marijuana use and cannabis dispensaries, Pew Research Center
3Marijuana legalization by state, MJ Biz Daily News
4 Cannabis potency data, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2024
5 Number of Prescription Stimulants Dispensed, IQVIA, 2023
CONTACT: [email protected]
SOURCE Carrum Health
