- Key Insight: Discover how value-based outpatient models are reshaping employer approaches to SUD treatment.
- What’s at Stake: Unclear treatment quality standards may increase employer liability, costs and workforce disruption.
- Supporting Data: Nearly 50 million Americans with SUD; Groups serves roughly 20,000 members across 12+ states.
- Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review
Cooper Zelnick knows firsthand how substance use disorder can impact job performance.
Zelnick, CEO of addiction treatment program Groups Recover Together, got sober in 2015 after developing a dependence on opioids.
“I got into treatment, I got sober, and I’ve been able to build a life,” Zelnick says.
Today he is helping others like him do the same as head of Groups, a national leader in value-based outpatient care for substance use disorder. The company operates in more than a dozen states around the country, offering a combination of medication, group therapy and life goal support.
Read more: Substance use disorder is costing employers billions. Here’s how to invest in treatment
Groups refers to their clients as “members,” and the company currently has around 20,000 — most of whom are seeking help for opioid dependency.
Zelnick, who became CEO of Groups last September, recently spoke with Employee Benefit News about his goals as the company’s new leader and how benefit leaders can help employees who are struggling with substance use disorder.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
As the new CEO of Groups, what are your top priorities?
We are living in a moment of instability with respect to healthcare. So one of my top areas of focus is making sure that I am setting us up for success regardless of what happens with Medicaid, the ACA and federal policy landscape. Making sure we’re resilient, thoughtful and dynamic in that way is a really big priority of mine. And then against that backdrop, I want to continue delivering value for my stakeholders. Broadly speaking, I have three sets of stakeholders. I have the individuals I serve, which are the folks who struggle with this disease. I have the entities that pay for care, and I have my team who does this really amazing hard work. My job is to be of service to all those stakeholders.
According to Groups’ 2025 annual outcomes report, nearly 50 million people in the U.S. struggle with substance use disorders. What kind of an impact does this have on the workforce?
Substance use disorder impacts people in all ways. This is a disease that manifests itself in folks not doing what they say they’re going to do, not being honest and not taking care of their responsibilities. Many of us, myself included, have struggled with this. What it means to the employer is typically workplace accidents, lost productivity and absenteeism. There are also healthcare costs if folks are leaving work to go to inpatient treatment.
Read more: Making the case for employer as treatment payer
Cooper Zelnick, CEO of Groups Recover Together
Groups Recover Together
And then I think the other hidden cost here is an employer might say, “We have a zero-tolerance policy for drug or alcohol use. This isn’t impacting our people. We’re different.” And I think what the data would show is no one’s different. This is an issue that impacts the whole population. It’s also an issue that impacts dependents. If you have an employee whose husband or wife is struggling with addiction, you know it manifests itself in the same issues. This is an employee who’s distracted, who’s not productive, who’s stressed and anxious at work, who’s not bringing their best self to work.
Do you think there is less of a stigma around substance use disorder now in society?
I think that there’s broader recognition that this is a disease and you can be treated for it. In pop culture, we used to see just representations of addicts or alcoholics, and now you see real representations of recovery and sobriety. I believe we’re making progress as a country and as a society.
Are you seeing a trend toward more insurance carriers and companies covering the cost of treatment for substance use disorder?
We’ve gone from a crisis of access in this country to a crisis of quality. There are more providers than there ever have been paying for and supporting this work. The bad news is I don’t think we have yet agreed on what “good” looks like. And when you can’t agree on what good looks like, it’s really hard to promote quality.
Given your experience working with people who suffer from substance use disorders, do you have any advice for benefit leaders?
Step one, reduce the stigma. Make resources available and foster these conversations. Step two, have a perspective on quality and bring in the resources and partners you need to help people get to the right treatment. The wrong treatment doesn’t help and might even hurt. If you get them the right treatment, you can have life-changing outcomes for a person. Think about the employee sentiment for someone who’s been successfully supported into recovery by their employer. It really matters.
