UNC Horizons at Wake

UNC Horizons at Wake is an addiction-treatment facility located in Raleigh, NC. The facility's programming is outpatient (Outpatient), not residential. What follows is an orientation — not a review — to the practical questions worth asking before admission.

Care levels at UNC Horizons at Wake

The care-level question matters because what a facility offers is what it can realistically treat well. UNC Horizons at Wake is an outpatient-focused program (Outpatient) — patients live at home or in sober living and attend treatment sessions. This level of care is clinically appropriate for mild-to-moderate substance use disorder, or for patients stepping down from residential. Before admission, an independent clinical assessment (from a primary-care doctor, licensed substance-use counselor, or addiction-medicine physician) can confirm whether UNC Horizons at Wake's offerings match the clinical need.

Insurance and payment

On insurance specifically: UNC Horizons at Wake accepts Medicaid — which is consequential because facilities that accept Medicaid tend to have the broadest patient populations and the most developed public-sector relationships, though reimbursement structures mean program intensity sometimes differs from commercial-focused centers. Before admission, ask the facility's utilization-review team for a written Verification of Benefits — not verbal assurance, which is where most post-treatment financial surprises come from. Also ask for specific plan-level confirmation, not carrier-level (e.g., "your Aetna PPO plan" not just "Aetna").

Specialty programming

The facility's documented specialty programming includes: Adult women, Criminal justice (other than DUI/DWI)/Forensic clients, Clients with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. If that matches what you or your family member need, great — and worth asking specifically about what the programming looks like day-to-day (how many hours per week of specialty-specific content, who leads it, what credentials they hold).

Before you call

Three questions to put to UNC Horizons at Wake before admission: the specific ASAM level the facility is billing; the written Verification of Benefits for your specific plan product; the MAT policy (continuation of buprenorphine or methadone during residential, specifically). If the clinical situation involves opioid use disorder, confirm explicitly whether UNC Horizons at Wake offers medication-assisted treatment — buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone. Programs that do not are operating outside the current standard of care. Getting answers in writing protects against the downstream surprises.