Specialized Addiction Healthcare
CARMAhealth’s providers adopt a positive, collaborative approach and integrate primary medicine, behavioral health and care management to promote lasting recovery, encourage self-care and improve treatment outcomes. CARMA stands for Collaborative Addiction Recovery Management and Assistance.
A Medical Home for Your Health and Well-Being
Individuals with substance use disorders need access to healthcare like everyone else. We provide “stigma-free” care that is informed by the science of addiction and recovery. Unlike most of mainstream medicine, we view addiction as a chronic condition that responds to treatment and improves over time.
Our Story
CARMAhealth (“CARMA” stands for Collaborative Addiction Recovery Management and Assistance) was born in Austin Texas on July 5th 2017, but the idea of providing access to high-quality, in-network primary care for addiction and related medical problems was years in the making.
During my years in academic medicine and as a practicing addiction psychiatrist, I witnessed countless people confronting what I called the “post discharge medical fumble.” As a dear friend once told me, “just about anyone can stay sober in rehab…it’s when rehab stops that the work begins…that’s when it gets real.” Here we have thousands of people who spend time in drug rehab facilities who often benefit tremendously from the experience, but when it’s time for a “warm handoff” to a medical provider in their community the ball gets dropped (the “fumble”).
The “fumble” takes many forms: providers who can’t (or won’t) treat mental illness; providers who aren’t comfortable treating a person with a substance use disorder; providers who put people back on addicting substances thereby causing a recurrence; providers who are not in network with insurance and demand cash; or just no provider at all.
CARMAhealth is my effort to solve the problem of access to high-quality medical care for substance use disorders in our communities…to pick up the ball and run with it when it gets real!
– Carlos Tirado, MD, MPH
Telehealth Services
CARMAhealth offers convenient remote access to a licensed practitioner via our telehealth portal. Patients can connect with our clinical staff for medication management and brief consultations.
INSURANCE COVERAGE
CARMAhealth is in network for primary care with most insurance plans to make treatment more accessible. Contact us to learn more.
EARLY INTERVENTION
Early intervention and timely access to care can make the difference between a brief or a protracted use event.
ASSESSMENT & CARE PLANNING
Our providers specialize in addiction healthcare; we provide comprehensive primary care and psychiatric assessments to inform the treatment plan.