Press Release | BEACON digital therapy platform qualified to OTN Vendor of Record to scale treatment of mood and anxiety disorders

Providers within all Ontario LHINs can now procure and implement high efficacy mental health diagnosis and treatment with the efficiency and accessibility of digital delivery

TORONTO – BEACON, a proprietary digital therapy platform developed by CBT Associates, has been qualified by the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) as one of four vendors on a new Vendor of Record (VOR). The qualification supports a strategy by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to improve access, timely care and support to those suffering with mental health issues.

BEACON was qualified by OTN through a competitive evaluation process of technology solutions where key requirements included demonstration of ability to provide timely and immediate access to care, ease-of-use, reduction of stigma as a barrier to treatment, and improved quality of life for patients. To address the needs of OTN and health and community care providers within all 14 LHINs across Ontario, sound evidence to support scale and spread, including proven outcomes, cost-efficiency and data privacy, were also key requirements.

The VOR – which can be accessed through OTN’s Innovation Centre at https://otn.ca/innovationcentre/mood-anxiety/ – will enable healthcare providers and organizations to acquire and deploy virtual care solutions more efficiently and cost effectively.

Launched commercially in October 2017, BEACON is a digitally-delivered therapist-assisted Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TAiCBT) platform. It is the only made-in-Canada platform that integrates differential diagnosis by a clinical psychologist, one-to-one messaging interaction with a dedicated eTherapist, and personalized CBT treatment protocols suitable for mild to moderately severe depression and anxiety disorders, all within one digital solution. Outcome measures are rigorously captured and regularly provided to patients, health practitioners and stakeholder organizations (where appropriate consents are provided).

Currently, BEACON offers condition-specific treatment protocols for depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder and panic disorder. An individual’s care path is further tailored by a regulated and highly trained eTherapist to the patient’s needs and progress throughout treatment. Additional protocols, including one for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), will be offered in early 2018.

“BEACON was developed with the goal of solving significant gaps in the accessibility-affordability-effectiveness equation that many people face when seeking mental health care,” says Sam Duboc, Executive Chair, BEACON. “This Vendor of Record qualification for OTN creates opportunity for health care providers across Ontario to partner and help people experiencing mental health issues, to move us together towards that goal.”

“What BEACON brings to the table as one of four newly qualified vendors on the VOR is ability to provide very timely access to a validated treatment solution, which will contribute to improving treatment outcomes and decreasing wait times,” says Dr. Ed Brown, CEO, OTN. “This qualification supports OTN’s commitment to integrate technology into models of care to increase access to services and engage people in managing their mental health challenges.”

About BEACON

Developed by CBT Associates, Canada’s largest single private provider of CBT and other evidence-based therapies, BEACON is a digitally-delivered solution using the proven principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and one-to-one therapist relationship to treat mental illness. Utilizing validated core components of in-clinic best practices, BEACON significantly reduces the barriers of cost, stigma, geography and time, and ensures the delivery of evidence-based personalized care to those experiencing with mental health issues.