A young startup providing primary care for Medicare-eligible Hispanic adults announced a partnership on Wednesday that it hopes will enhance its patient care, as well as improve workflows for its clinicians.
Austin-based Suvida Healthcare said it will adopt Elation Health’s primary care-specific technology platform — which comprises an EHR, as well as software for patient engagement, telehealth and revenue cycle management.
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Suvida was founded in December 2021 by CEO Austin Pittman — who is the former CEO of UnitedHealth Group subsidiary OptumCare — and chief medical officer Ana Fuentevilla. Last fall, the startup began providing primary care to Hispanic seniors in Texas.
“Despite the continued exponential growth of the Hispanic population in the U.S. over the last several years, America continues to do a poor job serving its unique needs. This has led to worse healthcare outcomes and a higher prevalence of several chronic conditions including diabetes, heart disease, obesity and behavioral health issues,” Fuentevilla said in a recent interview.
Her company seeks to address this problem by prioritizing care coordination and employing clinicians who are trained to provide culturally relevant care. Under the startup’s model, the members of a patient’s care team represent “the diversity of the neighborhoods they serve,” Fuentevilla explained.
Suvida’s teams deliver care “in the language and setting that works best for the patient,” including in-person appointments at the startup’s neighborhood clinics, at-home visits and telehealth consultations, she added.
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The company’s focus on Medicare-eligible patients separates it from other primary care startups tailored for Hispanic patients, such as Zócalo Health. Additionally, Suvida recognizes that family caregiving “is often a cornerstone” of Hispanic culture, Fuentevilla pointed out. With this in mind, the company designed its care model to support multigenerational families as they provide care to their seniors — Suvida offers training and resources to help caregivers be active participants in improving their loved one’s health outcomes, she said.
The startup also tackles social barriers to healthcare access by providing patients with transportation services and offering them targeted educational and wellness programming within its neighborhood centers.
“Suvida seeks to create deep relationships with like-minded community organizations to further promote continual access to critical social services,” Fuentevilla declared.
The company currently offers services in the Austin, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth markets, as well as in Tucson, Arizona. Its new partnership with Elation was forged to help expand Suvida’s value-based care operations, Fuentevilla explained.
She said Elation beat out other EHR vendors because of its focus on both primary care and value-based care. Additionally, the platform’s interoperability and robust open API access allows Suvida to leverage data easily, which can create a more efficient experience for both clinicians and patients, Fuentevilla declared.
“Leveraging a clinical-first EHR like Elation keeps doctors happy, productive and focused on serving their patients, while built-in workflows help drive performance in Suvida’s value-based contracts,” she said.
About 25,000 clinicians already use Elation’s technology to deliver care to more than 12 million patients.
Photo: Filograph, Getty Images
