Ria Health Taps Managed Care Veteran Bill Stapleton as New CEO
HealthPlanOne Founder Eyes Next Stage of Growth
SAN FRANCISCO – May 18, 2023 – Ria Health, the leading national telehealth provider of evidence-based treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), today announced the appointment of William C. Stapleton as its new CEO. Stapleton joins the company after a successful $18 million Series A financing round led by SV Health Investors. He brings with him a wealth of payor, payee, and Medicare experience as the founder and former CEO of HealthPlanOne, LLC and will facilitate Ria Health’s next stage of growth.
In addition to founding HealthPlanOne, a “Deloitte Fast 500” (2013-2016) company that saw substantial growth for 16 consecutive years, Stapleton held leadership roles at Oxford Health Plans, Inc., and Healthnet, Inc. He will work closely with co-founder Tom Nix, who is moving to the Chief Strategy Officer role. Nix will focus on commercializing new programs, including collaborative care for Medicare Advantage populations and alcohol-related liver disease.
“Ria Health has grown rapidly since its inception, and that’s largely a testament to the program’s efficacy,” said Stapleton. “For patients, Ria Health makes treatment accessible, affordable and, most importantly, successful. As the prevalence of alcohol-related disease and death continues to increase since the pandemic, I consider it an honor to join a team with such an important mission.”
Rates of problematic drinking rose significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic; deaths involving alcohol jumped 25.5 percent, and in the U.S, 29.5 million people had AUD, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Ria Health’s comprehensive treatment plan has proven highly effective, and outcomes from a recent peer reviewed article in The Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse show:
- Over 50 percent of patients who begin treatment with Ria Health stay engaged with the program for more than 90 days
- After 90 days of treatment patients reduce their alcohol consumption by 59 percent
- More than 84 percent of the patients utilize FDA approved AUD medications
A clinical trial is also underway from Ria Health in conjunction with Stanford University that will assess Ria’s medically assisted treatment program — The Ria Health Program — in decreasing problem drinking and resulting markers related to liver disease. The trial is funded by a grant awarded to Ria from the National Institutes of Health.
“Bill’s experience in managed care is a valuable addition to our team,” Nix said. “His operations expertise will empower our expert clinicians and is crucial for best practice medicine. His hiring is good news for our patients, current and future.”
Since 2016, Ria Health’s expert providers have empowered their patients to set personalized outcome goals to reduce or abstain from alcohol consumption. Patients utilize a combination of one-on-one coaching, medical support, digitally connected breathalyzers, and physician-prescribed medications to systematically reduce alcohol misuse and mental health conditions that co-occur with alcohol use disorder. 50 million people have access to Ria’s program covered by insurance as an in-network provider with major national health plans. For more information, visit riahealth.com.
About Ria Health
Over their lifetime, 1 in 10 adults will struggle with alcohol use disorder, the third-leading cause of preventable death in the United States. At Ria Health, we envision a world with accessible, effective, and compassionate treatment for people who suffer from alcohol misuse. Ria Health is the first evidence-based telehealth treatment program for people who want to drink less and live better by changing their relationship with alcohol. We combine medical science, technology, and human compassion to help people rapidly improve their lives with a simple, online alcohol treatment program that works. For more information, visit riahealth.com.
About SV Health Investors
SV Health Investors is a leading healthcare fund manager committed to investing in tomorrow’s healthcare breakthroughs. The SV family of funds invests across stages, geographic regions, and sectors, with expertise spanning biotechnology, dementia, healthcare growth, and healthcare technology. With approximately $2.7 billion in assets under management and a truly transatlantic presence with offices in Boston and London, SV has built an extensive network of talented investment professionals and experienced industry veterans. Since its founding in 1993, SV has invested in more than 200 companies with more than 90 of these having achieved successful acquisitions or IPOs. For more information, please see www.svhealthinvestors.com.
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