IMPORTANT: Keep Your Provider Directory Information Current to Protect Your Network Status. Learn more
A pounding heart. Sweating. Nausea. Trembling. And fear of losing control.
Patients suffering those symptoms may or may not know what’s happening to them. But health care professionals can quickly pinpoint the cause: a panic attack.
Panic attacks are excruciating for anyone who suffers from them. And successfully treating them can be challenging.
Highmark members and their network care providers now have a new ally to help fight panic attacks. Select Highmark members, in collaboration with their physicians or behavioral health specialists, have access to Freespira.
Freespira is a new FDA-cleared treatment that can significantly reduce or eliminate debilitating panic symptoms, according to the therapy’s creator, Palo Alto Health Sciences (see “How does Freespira work?” below).
Freespira is an at-home, medication-free, one-month treatment that addresses the underlying physiological causes of panic: chronic hyperventilation and/or other dysfunctional respiratory patterns.
Though they may not realize it, many people experiencing panic attacks breathe differently than others, and not only during a panic attack. Freespira teaches them to adjust their exhaled CO2 level and breathing rhythm to normal patterns. Doing so helps reduce or eliminate panic symptoms and panic attacks, sometimes in as little as two weeks.
With an authorization from their network physician or behavioral health specialist, Highmark members will receive a tablet computer containing the Freespira app. Members also get a highly advanced sensor that measures their breathing rate and exhaled CO2 level.
The sensor transmits data on the user’s breathing to the Freespira app. Real-time breathing information is then displayed on the tablet. And the patient receives personalized guidance in addition to visual and audio instructions on how to adjust his or her breathing.
Members complete two 17-minute sessions each day for four consecutive weeks in the privacy and comfort of their homes. With guidance from a therapist, Freespira has been shown to be safe and effective in several clinical studies, according to Palo Alto Health Sciences (see data below).
A Freespira Quality Improvement Program conducted through VITAL 
, Highmark Health, and Allegheny Health Network from 2015 through 2017 showed promising clinical outcomes for patients:
The program also showed that Freespira delivered measurable cost reductions. For members completing the treatment, overall medical costs were reduced by 50% and ED costs dropped by 64%.
Freespira is a covered benefit for non-Medicare-Advantage Highmark members. Copays and coinsurance apply. Use NaviNet® or the applicable HIPAA electronic transactions to check member benefits and eligibility.
To refer an eligible Highmark member, call 1-800-735-8995 or send an email to cs@freespira.com.
You will be able to review records of your patients’ Freespira breathing sessions through a secure website.
Watch Provider News for more information and updates on Freespira.
Important note: This article is informational only: Highmark does not recommend particular treatments or health care services. Members’ access to Freespira is conditioned upon the authorization of a physician or health care professional. Coverage of Freespira is subject to the terms of each member’s benefit plan. Please confirm that your patient who is a Highmark member has a benefit for Freespira. Additionally, state laws and regulations governing health insurance, health plans, and coverage may apply and will vary from state to state.
