Equip Health Review 2024: Pros & Cons, Cost, & Who It’s Right For

Equip Health Key Takeaways

• Equip Health offers online evidence-based treatment for a range of eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, ARFID, and binge eating disorder.
• Anyone aged 5 years or older is eligible for online eating disorder treatment with Equip Health.
• While the out-of-pocket costs with Equip Health range from $2,500 to $4,000 monthly, they do accept and are covered by almost all forms of insurance in the US. Additionally, Equip Health never wants cost to be a barrier to care and encourages all to reach out, even if they are uninsured.
• When you start treatment with Equip Health, you will be matched with a five-person treatment team consisting of a medical provider, therapist, dietician, peer mentor, and family mentor.
• Treatment involves regular virtual appointments with your five-person care team. The length and frequency of appointments depend on each patient’s unique treatment plan.
• The intake process with Equip Health begins with a phone call with the intake department – certain insurances may require a referral from a primary care provider. The entire admissions process takes between one to two weeks.

What Is Equip Health?

Equip Health offers online treatment for anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder,  avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), and other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED). They are available throughout the US and can serve anyone 5 years and older. Your treatment team will generally consist of therapists, physicians, dieticians, and mentors. Equip Health does offer a cash pay option, but almost all major health insurance plans are accepted.

Equip Health specializes in virtual outpatient eating disorder treatment. The company provides care for anyone 5 years and older who are diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, avoidant and restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), binge eating disorder, and other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED).

Equip Health’s providers tailor their treatments to each patient and utilize a variety of evidence-based modalities, like Family Based Treatment, Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-E), Cognitive Behavior Therapy-Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake, Dialectic Behavioral Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention therapy, and more. Regardless of the type of therapy the patient receives, family members are encouraged to participate actively in treatment and as needed.

The admissions process with Equip Health will generally begin with a phone call to the company’s intake department. You will first discuss the billing arrangements, and depending on your insurance type, you may need a referral from a primary care physician. The admissions team explained to us that certain insurance companies require a referral while others do not.

The admissions process can feel lengthy, with everything taking around one to two weeks to fully process. However, at the end of the process, you will be matched with a multidisciplinary team of treatment providers. These providers will be medical doctors, therapists, dieticians, and mentors. If, for whatever reason, you are ever unhappy with one of your providers, you can request a change at any time. Patients with Equip can select their own appointment times and their length of time, like a short check-in.

For patients that present with a co-occurring condition, such as anxiety, depression, or OCD, Equip’s medical providers are well-versed in psychiatric medications. While there is no age limit for who is eligible for medications, those under 18 will need to weigh the risks to benefits of the medication. Generally, most patients with Equip that require medication will start with SSRIs, but some patients may qualify for medications like Abilify or Seroquel.

While Equip Health does not have an app, the company’s website offers helpful educational material for patients and family members. Family members can access the free family toolkit, which discusses the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder, how to talk to a loved one about their eating disorder, and questions to consider before getting treatment. Depending on the patient’s specific treatment plan and age, this involvement may include attending some appointments with the patient. Additionally, all supports have the option of meeting with their family mentor and attending group classes throughout treatment to receive education and skills-based support.

Family members can also attend free weekly family support groups via Zoom. You do not need to have a family member in treatment with Equip Health to participate in the weekly family support groups. There is a great blog page and resource page on Equip Health that provides valuable information for families. All articles are informative about a wide range of topics and questions related to eating disorders and their treatment.

How Much Does Equip Health Cost?

Equip Health costs $4,000 for the first four months, then $2,500 monthly out-of-pocket. These costs may be significantly less if you use in-network insurance, and they accept and are covered by almost every commercial insurance plan in the US.

Equip Health’s online eating disorder treatment plans include:

• Five-person, multidisciplinary team of therapists, physicians, dieticians, and mentors
• One-on-one meetings with each team member weekly
• Five appointments in total for each week
• Free family toolkit, articles, and resources on the Equip Health website.3

Does Equip Health Accept Insurance?

Yes, Equip Health is in-network with select mental health insurance plans. The following list is not exhaustive and Equip continues to strive toward accepting more insurance plans.

Some insurance plans Equip Health accepts include:

• Aetna
• Anthem
• Cigna
• Horizon
• Magellan Health
• Moda Health
• Optum
• Pacific Source
• Partnership
• United Healthcare
• Carelon
• Regence

Out-of-Network Benefits

According to Equip Health, they are not able to provide a superbill (itemized bill) for those with out-of-network insurance.

What Is The Admissions Process Like With Equip Health?

There are two ways to start the admissions process with Equip Health. The first way is you complete the secure, HIPAA-compliant Equip Health callback form on their website. You can expect a callback within three business days or schedule a 20-minute consultation. Unfortunately, when I attempted to schedule a consultation, the soonest appointment I could get was a week later.

Secondly, you can call Equip Health directly at 855-387-4378. You will select the menu option to speak with the admissions department from there. They can assist with answering any questions and setting up services.

Equip Health Key Features: Detailed Review

Equip Health offers virtual outpatient eating disorder treatment for anyone 5 years and older. After completing the admissions process, you will be matched with a five-person treatment team. Equip Health costs $4,000 for the first four months and $2,500 for future months, if you need to pay out-of-pocket. Currently, they accept many major health insurance plans, which would lower your costs.

What Is Eating Disorder Treatment Like With Equip Health?

Equip Health’s treatment team will tailor their plans to each patient and utilize a variety of evidence-based modalities, such as Family Based Treatment, Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy-Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake, Dialectic Behavioral Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention therapy, and more.

Patients in Equip’s program can generally expect to have an appointment or session at least five days a week. This is very typical for a virtual intensive outpatient therapy (IOP) program, such as this. IOP’s are a higher level of care than traditional therapy, therefore how many hours a week you attend your therapies depends on your personal needs. This is the same for virtual IOP programs. Your treatment team with Equip will do what they can to accommodate your regular schedule and plan your appointments accordingly. Regardless of the schedule, family members are encouraged to participate actively throughout your treatment and as needed.

Equip holds family as an integral part of their treatment plans, and they invite all patients to bring in their family and chosen family of all configurations into treatment. This can mean your parents and siblings, your spouse, a friend, coaches, or even coworkers can help support you. Depending on your specific treatment plan and age, this support may include attending some appointments with you and your treatment team. Additionally, all supporters can meet with the family mentor and attend group classes throughout treatment to receive education and skills-based support.

Family members can also attend free weekly family support groups via Zoom. You do not need to have a family member in treatment with Equip Health to participate in the weekly family support groups. There is a great blog page and resource page on Equip Health that provides valuable information for families. All articles are informative about a wide range of topics and questions related to eating disorders and their treatment.

While we did not meet the criteria to be admitted to the program with Equip Health, both Emily Guarnotta, PsyD, and Caitlin Bell, MA, had the opportunity to talk with several people at the company. When we had questions they could not answer, we were given an email address and were able to reach out there. Everyone was very responsive and helpful throughout our time reviewing Equip Health.

Who Is Equip Health Right For?

Equip Health would be a good fit for young adults, families, and anyone with an eating disorder with a co-occurring condition.

Young Adults Experiencing An Eating Disorder

Equip Health is ideal for young adults seeking online eating disorder treatment. The company’s providers are able to treat a range of eating disorders. Adults ages 18+ can sign themselves up for the service and get connected to a five-person treatment team within two weeks. This would be an ideal way for those far from home, such as college students, to receive needed care for their disorder eating.

Families Seeking Treatment For Kids or Teens

Equip Health serves children and teens starting at age five using a range of therapy modalities. Parents of young children or teens experiencing eating disorders will be able to complete the admissions process, enroll their child with Equip Health, and get assigned to a therapist, medical provider, dietician, family mentor, and peer mentor. During treatment, family members learn how to create a home environment that supports recovery. Family members will also learn how to communicate with their loved ones and handle difficult situations, like mealtimes.

Eating Disorders & Co-occurring Conditions

Eating disorders rarely exist by themselves, and Equip Health offers comprehensive treatment for other mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The five-person treatment team that you are assigned to is qualified to help address a range of mental health disorders to help ensure a full recovery.

Who Might Want an Alternative to Equip Health?

As a virtual eating disorder treatment provider, Equip Health is not right for everyone, especially for those requiring hospitalization.

Anyone Requiring Hospitalization

Eating disorders can range in severity, with some people requiring a higher level of care, such as inpatient hospitalization or residential treatment. This is true for anyone who is severely malnourished, not medically stable, or who is experiencing suicidal ideation. ¹

Virtual outpatient treatment, like what is offered by Equip Health, is not appropriate for people in these cases. If you are seeking a higher level of care for yourself or someone else, you can reach out to your medical provider or contact the National Alliance for Eating Disorders at 866-662-1235 for assistance.

Equip Health User Reviews

Currently, there are no published reviews on Equip Health available. We could not find any information on how actual customers felt about the company’s services.

Equip Health Vs. Competitors

With Equip Health, you get access to five hours of virtual outpatient treatment per week from a team of providers. However, some people may prefer in-person treatment or require a higher level of care. Anyone seeking more intensive eating disorder care would benefit from an alternative, such as Within Health or the Center for Discovery.

Equip Health Vs. Within Health

Within Health is an alternative eating disorder treatment program that offers virtual partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient programs (IOP). Like Equip Health, Within Health provides treatment for anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and OSFED. Within Health is currently available in most, but not all states, but has plans to expand its reach. It serves teens and adults ages 13 to 70.

As mentioned in our Within Health review, it is a more intensive program format than Equip Health and the costs reflect this. However, Within does accept some insurance plans which could lower the costs. Within’s PHP treatment option offers six hours of treatment, five to seven days per week and costs $950 daily. Their IOP option offers three hours of treatment, three to five days per week and costs $600 daily. The cost includes healthy, fresh meals delivered to you each week, which your treatment team will incorporate into your treatment.

Overall, Within Health is a better fit for teens and adults who require a higher level of care than Equip Health is able to offer.

Equip Health Vs. Center for Discovery

The Center for Discovery has been offering mental health treatment for over 25 years. The Center for Discovery’s eating disorder program is an alternative option for those wanting in-person treatment or anyone who requires a higher of care. There are several locations throughout the United States offering residential, partial hospitalization (PHP), and intensive outpatient (IOP) for eating disorders. Like Equip Health, treatment for co-occurring disorders is also offered.

Much like our Center for Discovery review mentions, costs with them are significantly more than Equip Health. This is because it offers more intensive treatment in-person treatment and also includes all meals. The cost of residential treatment is approximately $3,000 daily. PHP costs around $1700 daily and IOP costs $1000 daily. The Center for Discovery accepts most major health insurance plans.

Overall, the Center for Discovery is a better option for anyone who requires a higher level of care or prefers in-person treatment.

History of  Equip Health

Equip Health was founded in 2019 by Dr. Erin Parks and Kristina Saffran. Both co-founders dedicated their careers to eating disorder awareness and treatment after having experienced eating disorders themselves.² In 2022, Equip Health participated in a study on virtual family-based treatment (FBT) for eating disorders. The study, which was published in Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention, found that virtual FBT helps reduce eating disorder symptoms in children, teens, and young adults.³

That same year, Equip Health raised $58 million in funding, which allowed the company to expand its reach. Katie Couric Media is one of many investors who support the company’s mission of making evidence-based eating disorder treatment more accessible.⁴ Since its founding, Equip Health has grown to serve all 50 states and has an extensive multi-disciplinary staff consisting of therapists, medical providers, dieticians, and family and peer mentors.

Final Verdict on Equip Health

Overall, Equip Health is a great choice for anyone 5 years and older struggling with mild to moderate anorexia, bulimia, ARFID, and binge eating disorders. Equip Health offers a unique approach to eating disorder treatment and makes treatment more accessible through a virtual multidisciplinary team of specialists. Equip can even manage co-occurring mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and OCD.

While we did not have a chance to use Equip Health as patients, we connected with several employees at the company. Everyone we talked to at Equip exudes compassion and empathy for the patients entering their program. Their large team of therapists, medical providers, dieticians, and peer mentors makes Equip one of the best virtual online eating disorder treatment programs in the US.

For Further Reading

• How to Help Someone With an Eating Disorder
• Best Eating Disorder Apps