Jon Stolzer, the CEO of Nashville Addiction Clinic and Recovery Care of Columbia, spoke about his telemedicine platform for addiction treatment.
Stolzer also opened up about being a part of the digital age of telemedicine.
What inspired the founding of your telemedicine platform for addiction treatment?
Our telemedicine platform was born out of a deep recognition that traditional models of care weren’t reaching some of the most vulnerable populations. Barriers like geography, transportation, work schedules, stigma, and lack of access to high-quality treatment were keeping too many people from accessing recovery.
We saw an opportunity to meet patients where they are—literally and figuratively—by creating a fully virtual, evidence-based treatment experience that preserves dignity, ensures accessibility, and delivers results.
What populations or regions are you specifically focused on serving, and why?
We are currently focused on serving individuals across Tennessee, with special emphasis on rural communities and under-served populations who historically have had limited access to evidence-based addiction treatment.
These regions often lack OBOT programs that accept insurance. We’ve been able to fill that gap by bringing high-quality, regulated, virtual care directly into patients’ homes.
We’ve also designed our model to support working individuals and parents–people who need flexible, stigma-free treatment options.
How do you ensure continuity of care and prevent relapse remotely?
Continuity of care is built into our model from day one. Every patient is connected with a dedicated team that includes a medical provider, counselor, and support staff.
We use a HIPAA-compliant platform to deliver all aspects of care—drug screening, individual and group counseling, case management, and medication management.
Our proprietary drug screening process allows for both rapid and confirmatory results that are both collected and mailed directly from the patient’s home.
We monitor engagement closely and intervene early when signs of destabilization emerge.
Routine changes to a patient’s treatment plan, along with a multi-system approach, offers added support before relapse occurs. It’s also important to note that in many cases, relapse is a part of the recovery process.
The path to sobriety is rarely a straight line. Ensuring patients have an advocate in us, rather than a judge, provides a meaningful relationship that supports transparency.
What treatment modalities do you use?
Traditionally speaking, we are a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) model. We utilize buprenorphine in conjunction with routine drug screening, individual and group counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, case management, and relapse prevention planning.
Our clinical approach follows national best practices and aligns with both The Joint Commission and the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services OBOT standards, ensuring that our care is not only compassionate and compliant but also effective.
How do you screen and triage patients virtually to determine appropriate levels of care?
We begin with a comprehensive intake and assessment conducted by our clinical team. This process involves a comprehensive biopsychosocial evaluation conducted by our therapeutic and medical providers.
The use of validated and diagnostic tools, as well as a review of the patient’s substance use history, mental health status, and medical needs, ensures adherence to evidence-based practices.
The outcome of these processes helps determine whether TeleMAT is clinically appropriate or if the patient requires a higher level of care.
Observing program compliance, such as adherence to medication management instructions and drug screening requirements, helps inform program appropriateness.
Polypharmacy or polysubstance abuse are good indicators that a patient may require an increased level of care.
After careful evaluation by the patient’s care team and our program’s clinical leadership, a referral to more intensive treatment setting may occur.
What role does asynchronous care (e.g., messaging, journaling, self-assessments) play in your platform?
Asynchronous care is a vital layer of support. Through our app, patients can securely message their care team, receive case management resources, submit self-assessments, and receive timely feedback between visits.
This continuous touchpoint helps us monitor patient progress, maintain engagement, and reinforce accountability, especially for patients balancing work, parenting, or life transitions.
How does it feel to be a part of the digital age of telemedicine?
It’s both exciting and humbling. We’re doing more than just keeping pace with the digital evolution in healthcare—we’re leading it in our state.
We were honored to become Tennessee’s first recipients of the All-Virtual OBOT license, a designation that reflects our innovation, compliance, and commitment to excellence.
Being part of this digital age means we’re able to save lives, expand access, and reshape the future of recovery—all from a cell phone held in the hand of the patients we serve.
How do you measure success and outcomes in virtual addiction care?
We measure success through clinical benchmarks, patient retention, engagement, abstinence outcomes, and patient-reported satisfaction and quality of life metrics.
We also track drug screen results, treatment adherence, and care plan milestones.
While colating data on predetermined metrics is an important means of objectively measuring impact, watching our patients rebuild their lives—returning to work, restoring relationships with family, and reclaiming their sense of purpose is the ultimate measure of our success.
How do you see the future of telemedicine in addiction care evolving?
The future of telemedicine in addiction care is expansive and promising. We anticipate greater involvement of AI-assisted engagement. Both in clinical monitoring and patient-facing interaction.
We, of course, hope to see a more concrete stance on the federal level that supports the delivery of care through a telemedicine framework.
Virtual OBOTs need to be seen as a permanent solution—not a temporary workaround. I also see a future where cross-state licensure becomes more fluid, allowing platforms like ours to reach multi-state populations that desperately need high-quality virtual care.
Can you share a success story that highlights the impact of your platform on someone’s recovery journey?
One patient who stands out had previously attempted treatment multiple times over two decades with repeated relapses.
They were stuck in a cycle comprised of an inability to obtain reliable transportation, locating a treatment facility that accepted their insurance, and feelings of shame and guilt around active addiction.
Through our program, they were able to attend appointments from home consistently, receive treatment medications delivered through one of our medication-by-mail partners, complete counseling after work, and successfully adhere to our at-home drug screening system.
Over time, they repaired their relationship with their children, obtained full-time employment, leading to the purchase of reliable transportation, and established a living situation they are proud of.
Today, they’re not only living a sober life, but building the kind of momentum previously thought to be impossible. I never get tired of seeing our patients succeed. Their success is our success.
To learn more about the Nashville Addiction Clinic, visit its official website.
For more information on Recovery Care of Columbia, check out his official homepage.
