Addiction treatment provider expansion is taking off at Spero Health, a Brentwood, Tennessee-based company aiming to reshape addiction care nationwide. This year alone, Spero plans to open 24 new clinics and is targeting at least another 24 in 2026. CEO Steve Priest describes this rapid growth as a key part of their mission to expand access to quality addiction treatment across more states and services. The company’s aggressive addiction treatment provider expansion reflects its ambition to address a broader range of conditions while advancing value-based care models.
Broadening Services Alongside Addiction Treatment Provider Expansion
Since its founding in 2018, Spero Health has focused on opioid use disorder treatment. However, the company has evolved its approach and now also treats alcohol use disorder. Spero is actively exploring new service lines, including partial hospitalization and detox programs, as part of its ongoing addiction treatment provider expansion strategy. Their integrated care model is built around harm reduction and features a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurse practitioners, and mental health counselors. Comprehensive support services, such as case management and care coordination, emphasize social determinants of health to provide wrap-around care.
Medicaid Focus Fuels Addiction Treatment Provider Expansion
A significant focus of Spero’s addiction treatment expansion is serving the Medicaid population. Steve Priest highlights Medicaid programs as vital advocates for holistic and longitudinal care models tailored to the needs of patients with addiction. “Medicaid programs are increasingly learning how to think about this patient population from a holistic-care standpoint,” Priest said, underscoring the importance of designing care around disease states.
Supported by investors like Heritage Group, Frist Cressey Ventures, Health Velocity Capital, and South Central Inc., Spero currently operates more than 70 clinics serving over 28,000 patients. This strong foundation enables the company’s ongoing addiction treatment expansion efforts as it scales rapidly across the country.
Building a Foundation for Value-Based Care in Addiction Treatment Provider Expansion
Value-based care is central to Spero’s future vision. The company recognizes the need for solid clinical outcomes data to support new payment models. To this end, Spero developed the Spero Quality Index, which tracks evidence-based metrics such as the Brief Addiction Monitor Scale and the Recovery Capital Scale. This allows Spero to measure outcomes at the clinic and provider levels—key capabilities that support its addiction treatment provider expansion while meeting payer requirements.
Overcoming Industry Challenges Through Addiction Treatment Expansion
Flat reimbursement rates in addiction care pose a challenge, but also create an opportunity for value-based care models that reward providers for improved outcomes. Priest explained, “This patient population is absolutely ripe for value-based care, where you are able to reward a provider for keeping a patient out of the hospital, reducing readmissions, and lowering overall costs.” Medicaid programs, which often bear a large share of addiction-related societal costs, are particularly motivated to support these models.
Spero Health’s addiction treatment expansion, combined with its data-driven approach to clinical outcomes and value-based care, positions it as a leader in the evolving addiction treatment landscape. With over 70 clinics and tens of thousands of patients served, Spero is not only growing quickly—it’s helping define how addiction treatment can be delivered more effectively and sustainably across the U.S.
