A Unique Solution for Payors and Patients Alike
Alpha-Stim M and Alpha-Stim AID for the treatment of anxiety, insomnia, depression, and pain.
Alpha-Stim Offers Safe Solution for Health Plan Members
Alpha-Stim is a prescription medical device cleared by the FDA to treat anxiety, insomnia and pain only, with approval for depression outside of the United States.
The Alpha-Stim CES device utilizes a unique, patented, microcurrent waveform that interacts with an individual’s bioelectricity, allowing the body to return towards homeostasis, a balance that causes normal functioning of both the brain and peripheral nervous system.
Alpha-Stim is so easy to use as a pain or mental health solution that patients can administer it themselves at home while relaxing, reading, using a computer or watching TV. Many people treat their brain while doing light chores at home such as cooking using the included belt clip or lanyard, or simply putting the cell phone-sized device in their pocket.
The precise specifications of a therapeutic medical device waveform is analogous to the chemical composition of a pharmaceutical. The Alpha-Stim CES device generates a unique patented waveform that no other device can emulate. The highly refined and rigorously tested waveform transmits microcurrents via patented earclip electrodes for the AID device (which treats anxiety, depression, and insomnia), and via either handheld or self-adhesive electrodes placed on the body at the pain site for the M device.
Well-constructed scientific surveys, by both doctors and patients, consistently find that 9 out of 10 people who use Alpha-Stim as a solution for their mental health or pain get significant relief. More often than not, results are experienced from the very first treatment. These large effect sizes are supported by over 100 completed, independent research studies and published reports, many of which were double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) to ensure clinically validated results.
That’s why over 200 US Department of Defense (DOD) practitioners and over 92 Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals use Alpha-Stim with military personnel. In fact, both the US military and VA have published RCTs on Alpha-Stim and are continuing to use and research it. Side effects are mild and self-limiting, primarily consisting of headaches (0.20%) and skin irritation (0.11%) at the electrode site. In over 39 years of use, there has never been a significant lasting side effect.
Watch how the National Health Service found Alpha-Stim to be so safe, efficacious and cost effective it is becoming the first line treatment in the UK.
The NHS study revealed a savings of £541 in the UK, with a projected cost saving of $1,965 – $3,930 in the US. This is based on the purchase of a $795 Alpha-Stim AID and the typical American standard of care for anxiety patients (see chart below in cost containment section).
What is CES?
Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) is a generic term denoting low level electrical stimulation to the brain. CES refers to devices that deliver electrical currents transcranially through electrodes. The brain functions electrochemically and can readily be modulated by an electrical waveform. Pain, mood conditions (like anxiety and depression), and insomnia are all controlled by the body’s central nervous system. The billions of individual cells that comprise the nervous system communicate every sensation by conducting electrochemical signals between the cells in your body and brain.
Alpha-Stim’s waveform is delivered using our unique, patented earclips. The ears are an efficient and easy way to apply electrodes to direct the current across the brain. LORETA (computerized EEG) studies prove that Alpha-Stim CES device technology benefits the whole brain with the ear clip application.
What is MET?
Microcurrent electrical therapy (MET) is a generic term used to describe a low level current form of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) used for pain control typically applied for 2 – 5 minutes through probes, or self-adhesive electrodes for longer applications.
MET differs from traditional TENS in that MET uses lower current levels and longer pulse widths. The Alpha-Stim MET technology produces residual and cumulative results not generally seen with higher current TENS devices. In a traditional TENS device based on 1970s technology, the current is more than one thousand times stronger than with Alpha-Stim, so the mechanisms and effects differ.
MET is used for acute, chronic and post-traumatic pain using a current so small, it is a subsensory experience for most patients.
You need a cost-effective option. Alpha-Stim delivers.
Over a five-year period, Alpha-Stim users can save thousands of dollars compared with drugs and other treatments typically used to treat anxiety, insomnia, depression, and pain. When you consider the results that are possible with the Alpha-Stim CES device as a pain and mental health solution, as well as the safety of the therapy, it’s clear why we believe there’s no better value available.
Alpha-Stim M
Alpha-Stim M Cost: $1,299
Accessory Costs: $173/year
• $60 for 3 boxes of 256 felt electrode pads for earclips
• $15 for 250ml Alpha-Stim Conducting Solution refill bottle
• $18 for an 8-pack of AA lithium batteries
• $80 for 4 boxes of 100 probe electrode pads
Alpha-Stim AID
Alpha-Stim AID Cost: $840
Accessory Costs: $90/year
• $60 for 3 boxes of 256 felt electrode pads for earclips
• $15 for 250ml Alpha-Stim Conducting Solution refill size bottle
• $15 for an 8-pack of AAA lithium batteries
Cost Containment
The cost comparison charts below show all Alpha-Stim costs needed for treatment, including accessories purchased over time. To make this a more accurate product-to-product comparison, the drug costs do not include ongoing physician visits to change drug prescriptions, adjust dosages, treat side effects, or the likelihood of increasing drug costs over the period of the device’s 5-year limited warranty.
The graph on the right compares Alpha-Stim AID costs to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), and Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). One year of Alpha-Stim treatment includes the initial device purchase, a 250mL conducting solution refill bottle and an 8-pack of AAA lithium batteries, for a total cost of $834.
CBT costs include 15 sessions at $150 per session, for a total treatment cost of $2,250. TMS sessions cost between $400-500 for a total cost of about $15,000. Ten ECT sessions at $2,500 per session costs a total of $25,000.
Treatment prices are from www.pyschologytoday.com and the American Psychological Association.
The National Health Services (NHS) of the United Kingdom has released a new study on the clinical and cost effectiveness of Alpha-Stim. Alpha-Stim proved to be a cost-effective choice with a savings of £541 ($687 in U.S. dollar) per patient, compared to standard treatments. The cost savings in the United States healthcare system are projected to be even greater, in the range of $1,965 to $3,930, compared to 8 sessions of CBT and other typical treatment approaches “Alpha-Stim CES was more effective at achieving remission than we expected. As well as improvements in anxiety, there were improvements in depression and insomnia,” said Dr. Morriss, principal investigator of the study and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Nottingham.
Not only is the Alpha-Stim CES device uniquely effective, but also EPI is the only CES company that has the staff and resources to partner with the DOD to help our Service Members cope with the trauma of war. The United States Department of Defense uses Alpha-Stim because of the restrictions and costs of psychotherapy and drugs.
Offer the best care to retain and attract new members
Customer satisfaction bears more weight than ever before; if your members aren’t happy with their benefits and service, your quality rating takes a direct hit. With the demand for effective mental healthcare growing, it is of vital important to offer the services your members want and need.
With Alpha-Stim, patients do not have to discontinue their other medications or therapy; but many people find that Alpha-Stim is effective enough that they no longer need other treatment modalities in order to maintain the improvements to their physical and mental health.
The bottom line with customer satisfaction is this: your members want optimal health with minimal hassle and expense.
Alpha-Stim is a fast, safe, and effective treatment for multiple diagnoses and indications. And since its effects are cumulative over time, patients will feel better the more they use it. Unlike with medications, the dosage does not need to be increased over time; prescription renewals, refills, and reauthorizations are not required; and there is no risk of addiction, overuse and abuse, or withdrawal.
Patients use Alpha-Stim in the comfort of their own home, making it an appealing option for those with hectic schedules. It is a portable, safe, and easy way for people to attain the results they desire. Offering Alpha-Stim as a covered service gives your members what they want – as well as a powerful incentive to renew their policy with you, year after year.
Policies are changing. Keep in step with Alpha-Stim.
Policies are constantly being updated, and it’s up to you to stay in compliance. With more stringent controls over pain management, and increased pressure to screen for depression, it may seem like an uphill battle to keep pace with ever-changing requirements.
The financial incentive for receiving high scores on hospital consumer assessments has been correlated with the over-prescribing of opioids. Pain medications have historically been the first line method of treatment for pain – despite the toll they take on patients after leaving the hospital or doctor’s office. But Alpha-Stim offers pain relief so effective that there is no need to worry about lowered scores on patient satisfaction of pain management. In fact, you will find quite the opposite, as new Alpha-Stim devotees become satisfied with their symptom management, often for the first time ever. If therapy and drugs offered adequate management of symptoms for everyone, there would be no demand for Alpha-Stim. But the reality is that few people are satisfied with their current treatments for mood- and pain-related disorders.
The call for widespread mental health screenings of adolescents aged 12 and older will lead to increased diagnoses of depression, anxiety disorders, and other mental illness in this demographic. Alpha-Stim has been proven to be a safe and effective treatment for anxiety and depression not only in adults, but in children and teenagers. Treating mental illnesses at an early stage vastly improves the outlook for these patients, granting them better quality of life both immediately and long-term.
The good news is, it’s easier than ever before to offer your members coverage for Alpha-Stim. Not only did the FDA downclassify CES from Class III into Class II for anxiety and insomnia, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved EPI’s application for a HCPCS code. Effective January 1, 2020, the HCPCS code for CES is K1002: Cranial electrotherapy stimulator with accessories.
The time is right to set a higher standard for patient care. By offering coverage of Alpha-Stim, patients will feel better faster – leading to more satisfied customers and more cost-effective coverage policies for all.
Moving to value-based care: Alpha-Stim is the gold standard for mental and physical health.
The demands on you as an insurer are steep, and may feel impossible at times. Patients insist on better care while new policies pressure you to push costs ever lower – is this even sustainable for a payor? With Alpha-Stim, the answer is a resounding yes.
The portability and ease of use of Alpha-Stim allows it to be seamlessly integrated into an individual’s daily activities. Whether used for mental health, pain management, or both, Alpha-Stim rapidly improves the quality of life of patients. This, in turn, reduces costs for all parties: Patients spend less time and money by reducing reliance on medication and behavioral and physical therapies; providers can more effectively address their patients’ diagnoses, improving productivity; and payors reap the benefits of one of the most cost-effective treatment modalities in existence.
The integration of behavioral and primary care is one of the most pressing challenges that today’s payors and providers face. Alpha-Stim bridges the gap between physical and mental/behavioral healthcare, providing the perfect solution for ACOs that may otherwise struggle to provide quality versions of both.
If you are reading about Alpha-Stim for the first time you are probably trying to compare it with a treatment you are already familiar with. Don’t: Alpha-Stim is completely different from everything else on the market. In fact, we urge you to try it yourself. You will be amazed at how good you feel after just one treatment. After trying just a single treatment with Alpha-Stim, the device’s biggest skeptics become its strongest proponents.
