Groups Recover Together

Project Brief

Groups Recover Together (Groups) delivers medication-assisted treatment and group therapy to over 11,000 sufferers of Opioid Use Disorder in the USA. While working at thoughtbot, my team partnered with Groups to build a user-centric, unified digital platform to centralize the organization’s opioid-addiction care model.

Objectives

1. Streamline the remote treatment experience for members and clinicians.
2. Integrate medication-assisted treatment and group therapy into one easy-to-use web and mobile app-based platform.
3. Help Groups create a remote-first solution to support sufferers of Opioid Use Disorder during the pandemic.

Challenge

The primary challenge included reducing friction during the member intake process and unifying the disjointed tools that began being used during the pandemic. The cumbersome system could confuse members and staff and didn’t always perform. A more streamlined, integrated solution became necessary as Groups transitioned to support a 100% remote care model. The team needed to define exactly which parts of the existing system to build, buy, or somewhere in between.

Research & Design

The project began with a 5-phase Product Design Sprint, defining essential features and integrating the new platform with Groups’ existing electronic health record system (eCW). An MVP app launched as a pilot in Kentucky, with feedback gathered from 400 members informing further iterations. After interviewing members via video calls, the team learned which features would be essential to recovery and which stood in the way. Balancing members’ needs with the needs of the recovery program and establishing three key features: Progress Tracking, Community, and Needs/Interventions.

Impact and Results

By January 2022, the platform launched as web, iOS, and Android apps nationwide. My team proved pivotal throughout the project, providing design and technical leadership while acting as an interim CDO/CTO. Once the project launched, the team eventually coached and communicated with the Groups team to ensure a seamless transition to an in-house team, contributing to the project’s success.

The new platform simplified remote treatment by managing self-scheduling, outreach, forms, payment, treatment planning, and group therapy through a single cloud-based system. It integrated seamlessly with Groups’ existing EHR system and reduced administrative burdens, allowing staff to focus on patient care. The positive feedback from users highlighted the platform’s effectiveness in providing organized support during recovery.

Outcome

As a direct result of the new platform, Groups Recover Together experienced a significant boost in membership, doubling member numbers. This growth not only positions the organization for sustainable expansion but also signifies increasing influence in transforming the lives of Opioid Use Disorder sufferers across the USA.