January 20, 2026
Dilworth Center Named a 2026 Behavioral Health Center of Excellence for PHP and IOP Substance Use Treatment
2026 Evernorth Behavioral Health Center of Excellence
Dilworth Center has been designated a 2026 Evernorth Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (COE) for Substance Use Disorders at the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) level of care. This COE designation appears in the Evernorth provider directory used by Cigna and Evernorth members and referral partners to help identify facilities recognized for strong clinical performance.
What a COE designation means
Evernorth’s Behavioral Health COE program is an annual evaluation of in-network facilities using defined quality measures. Facilities are assessed using Evernorth’s clinical framework, with evaluation conducted at the national level to support consistent standards of care across facilities.
Just as important, Evernorth notes that a COE designation is a partial assessment and should not be the only factor used when choosing a facility. It is not a guarantee of outcomes for any individual.
How Evernorth evaluated IOP facilities for 2026
For the 2026 expansion of the COE program to include intensive outpatient services, Evernorth evaluated facilities offering IOP using measures that reflect continuity of care after discharge, stability during treatment, and the avoidance of higher-acuity utilization.
2026 IOP evaluation criteria included:
- Seven-day ambulatory follow-up (follow-up visit within seven days of discharge)
- Escalation to a higher level of care (no admission to a higher level of care during the episode)
- Readmission within 60 days (no readmission within 60 calendar days)
- Emergency department admissions within 30 days (no behavioral ED admission within 30 calendar days)
- Minimum annual episode volume thresholds
Dilworth Center’s 2026 COE quality results (IOP, Substance Use Disorders)
Below are the quality results shared as part of the COE evaluation notice.
Quality results
- Seven-day ambulatory follow-up: 71.43%
Percentage of patients seen by an in-network behavioral health facility or licensed outpatient provider within seven days of discharge. - Escalation to a higher level of care: 90.48%
Percentage of patients without admission to a higher level of care during the episode of care. - Readmission rate: 76.19%
Percentage of patients without readmissions within 60 calendar days of discharge. - ED admission rate: 100.00%
Percentage of patients without a behavioral admission to an emergency department within 30 calendar days of discharge.
Why these measures matter to patients and families
While no single metric tells the whole story, each measure reflects a practical part of recovery support and continuity of care.
Seven-day follow-up is widely recognized as a meaningful continuity marker because the first week after discharge can be a vulnerable transition period. A strong follow-up rate suggests that patients are connecting to ongoing support promptly.
Escalation to a higher level of care helps reflect whether people are staying stable in IOP rather than needing a sudden move to more intensive services during the episode.
Readmission and ED utilization measures reflect short-term stability after discharge. Lower rates of readmission or behavioral ED visits can indicate stronger transition planning, clearer aftercare engagement, and better continuity of support, while acknowledging that every patient’s clinical needs and circumstances are different.
What this means for referral partners
For hospitals, providers, EAPs, and community partners helping someone access care, the COE designation offers an additional signal that Dilworth Center met Evernorth’s quality thresholds for IOP substance use treatment based on claims-based and episode-based measures assessed through their framework.
