Ophelia

What Ophelia is

Ophelia is a telehealth clinic specializing in medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, delivered entirely online. The service prescribes Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone) and related medications, operating across 15 states through a model designed to eliminate barriers that keep people from entering care: no waiting lists, no travel required, and insurance that actually covers it.

Opioid addiction is medically treatable. The UN, CDC, NIH, SAMHSA, and AMA all recognize medications for addiction treatment as the gold standard. Ophelia is built around that standard, not despite it.

How it works

Ophelia starts with a free assessment to determine whether you're a candidate. People regularly using opioids who want to control or stop their use are eligible, as long as you don't need acute medical or psychiatric hospitalization. The company screens for medical stability: if you need immediate detox in a medical setting, they refer you elsewhere rather than enrolling you.

When you enroll, you meet three people. First is an Enrollment Coordinator who walks you through the program, answers questions, and schedules your initial visit. They're on the phone with you so you're not navigating the intake alone. All visits happen via Zoom, a free video app you download on your phone, tablet, or computer. The first appointment is the induction visit, where a clinician reviews your medical history, proposes a treatment plan, and writes a prescription for a seven-day supply of Suboxone. If you decide Ophelia isn't right for you after that first call, you won't be charged anything. The visit is risk-free in that literal sense.

If you enter treatment, you pay the first $245 after the visit, or Ophelia can delay your first payment up to a week. After induction, you continue with ongoing maintenance visits, scheduled weeks in advance. Throughout, a Care Coordinator works with you: they handle prescription refills with your pharmacy, call insurance on your behalf if there are coverage questions, and can schedule support calls if you want them. They're not clinicians but are available to untangle logistical problems.

You meet frequently with your clinician in the first month, then on a maintenance schedule. In addition to Suboxone management, the care plan includes access to medications for withdrawal symptoms during induction, like nausea or trouble sleeping. Ophelia also prescribes medications for co-occurring conditions: depression, anxiety, and insomnia. There is support available seven days a week, morning to evening. The company emphasizes that treatment is confidential: Ophelia never shares your information with anyone without your permission, including your employer.

What the service covers and what it costs

Ophelia operates in 15 states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. The company is expanding and accepts insurance across a growing number of plans, including select Medicaid plans. You can check coverage for free in under two minutes on their insurance checker. If your state or plan isn't listed, you can contact the enrollment team to ask about your options, since coverage is expanding regularly.

The company's clearest pricing statement is this: most patients pay less than $10 a month for care. That covers all clinician visits via video, Suboxone management, and ongoing support. The cost depends on your insurance plan, deductible, and other factors. If you don't have insurance, the full cash price is $245 per month for the service subscription. Medication costs are separate and depend on your pharmacy and prescription coverage. Ophelia has tools to help lower medication costs, and you can ask about them.

Ophelia doesn't charge late fees for missed payments if you communicate openly. No-show fees exist to protect clinician time: $20 for an initial visit if canceled within 12 hours, and $20 for a follow-up visit if canceled within 24 hours. If you can no longer afford treatment, Ophelia doesn't abruptly discharge you. The care team works with you on a discharge plan, including referrals to other opioid use disorder clinics. The clinician also prescribes a discharge supply of medication so you're not left without medication during the transition.

What the data shows

Ophelia publishes patient engagement outcomes measured against national standards. Eighty-five percent of Ophelia patients attend follow-up visits in the early weeks of treatment, more than five times the national average measured by HEDIS (Engagement of AOD Treatment). Seventy-nine percent remain in treatment at 180 days, more than twice the national average (HEDIS: Pharmacotherapy for Opioid Use Disorder). The company reports a Net Promoter Score of 97 among patients, described as three times the industry average. In interviews, patients describe the service as life-changing, though those testimonials are anecdotal, not clinical data.

The company does not publish pricing without a quiz or account, but the insurance-and-pricing page is transparent about the variation in copays depending on your plan.

What the company doesn't say

Ophelia doesn't publish detailed state-by-state plan lists on the main pages; you have to check the insurance checker or call. The company doesn't specify which insurances are in-network versus out-of-network. The medication cost varies widely and isn't predictable without knowing your pharmacy, so while Ophelia says "most patients" pay copays on medication, the actual number could be zero or substantial depending on your coverage. The website doesn't list average wait times for new patients, though their homepage claims you can be "seen in 1-3 days" after booking.

Understanding Suboxone

Suboxone is a combination medication of buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist, and naloxone. Buprenorphine binds to the same brain receptors as traditional opioids, reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms, but doesn't produce a euphoric high at therapeutic dosages. That's the point. You can feel physically healthy and remain clear-headed throughout the day. Naloxone is included to discourage intravenous misuse. Medication-assisted treatment reduces overdose risk by 76 percent according to research cited on the site. Opioid addiction treatment without medication fails 90 percent of the time.

Ophelia clinicians can prescribe other medications as needed: comfort drugs during withdrawal, and treatment for depression, anxiety, or insomnia if you have those diagnoses. The company doesn't prescribe controlled substances beyond buprenorphine and the comfort medications explicitly listed. On Suboxone specifically, dosages are adjusted to your tolerance during the induction week, then maintained on a schedule your clinician sets.

Who it fits

Ophelia is built for people with a diagnosis of opioid use disorder who want medication-assisted treatment and have stable housing and some way to access a computer or phone for video appointments. The service fits people with insurance, especially those who already carry a Medicaid plan. It fits people who prefer telehealth over office visits and people in rural areas without local opioid specialists. It doesn't fit people without internet or a device, people in one of the 35 states where Ophelia hasn't launched, people who need inpatient medical detox before starting medication, or people who want to pay cash and prefer not to disclose their identity to an insurance system. The service is confidential, but it does require insurance verification and a legally identifiable person.

Many people come to Ophelia after office-based treatment hasn't worked for them, or after disruptions in care. The model is designed around keeping treatment continuous and accessible so you don't have to choose between recovery and the rest of your life.