There has been a considerable increase in the number of intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) throughout the country in the past decade or so. Arguably, the number one reason for this is that insurance companies have continued to squeeze treatment providers and likely harm patients by forcing them to step down from higher levels of care faster than before in order to save money.

This isn’t to say that IOPs aren’t valuable, because they definitely are essential to the continuum of care for millions of people, but shortening residential stays prematurely isn’t in the best interest of patients who have more severe conditions.

What is an IOP?

Intensive Outpatient Programs typically consist of three hours of care per day for three to five days per week. This allows for nine to fifteen hours of treatment weekly. Like most treatment facility settings, these are primarily spent in group settings and accompanied by an individual therapy session as well.

When using insurance to pay for treatment services, it is common to get several weeks’ worth of services approved to extend the time in treatment.

They can also be very useful for people who don’t have as severe a condition and for those who are not able to enter inpatient care and who are motivated to change.

Virtual IOPs

A handful of virtual IOPs started to emerge in the late 2010s but were still relatively unheard of before 2020. When COVID hit, the entire industry had to scramble to figure out how to deliver this level of care in a a virtual setting, and now they are very common. Whether needing to join occasionally for scheduling flexibility or needing to attend from more rural locations, it has helped to open up more options for people seeking to continue their treatment journeys.