Pair Team, a California-based nonprofit organization, is significantly impacting health clinics in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Pair Team aims to provide underserved communities with quality healthcare, education, and technology resources.
By partnering with local health clinics, Pair Team helps to increase access to healthcare services for low-income families and individuals who may not have the means to receive medical care. Pair Team provides these clinics with the necessary tools and resources to enhance their operations and improve their quality of care.
This support includes providing medical equipment, technology, and software, as well as training staff and volunteers to ensure that they can effectively utilize these resources. With Pair Team’s support, health clinics in San Bernardino and Riverside counties can continue to serve their communities effectively and efficiently.
“It was difficult for us to find the patients and deliver behavioral health care,” Rezk said. “We couldn’t get enough people to cover all the program’s needs.”
Azer Rezk, MBA, owner of Metropolitan Family Clinics of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties
Remote Health Services and Enhanced Care Management
Pair Team, a San Francisco-based digital health start-up, is offering a new initiative that helps primary care providers and Medi-Cal managed care plans by providing a virtual interdisciplinary team that offers ready-to-go virtual and on-the-ground case management teams.
Enhanced Care Management is the program that coordinates medical, behavioral, and social services for Medi-Cal enrollees facing complex health and life situations. This new program aligns with California’s CalAIM initiative, which has the potential to improve outcomes for millions of people enrolled in Medi-Cal. Before CalAIM, community health programs existed, but they were not available statewide, and they relied on local leaders coming together to find the funds for care coordination.
Enhanced Care Management provides steady state funding streams for patients with wraparound services, such as homeless and housing-related assistance and other social services. An effective Enhanced Care Management program requires hiring an interdisciplinary team, building administrative and clinical workflows, and having the technology to establish data streams across providers and health systems.
Pair Team is filling an urgent need, partnering with medical providers to deliver Enhanced Care Management to their high-risk populations with a tech-enabled care service model.
Medi-Cal Program
California’s Medi-Cal program provides health coverage to millions of low-income individuals. In January 2022, the state launched CalAIM, a program to improve outcomes for Medi-Cal enrollees. As part of this initiative, Medi-Cal started funding coordination of medical, behavioral, and social services for individuals with complex health and life situations, including those experiencing homelessness. This coordination of care is known as Enhanced Care Management (ECM). Health plans are required to partner with providers to offer ECM, and this is where digital health start-up Pair Team comes in.
Pair Team is a San Francisco-based company that provides virtual and on-ground case management teams for primary care providers, and Medi-Cal managed care plans. The company was founded to fill the gap between healthcare providers and patients, simplifying case management, and making it more accessible. Pair Team has become increasingly relevant with the COVID-19 pandemic creating a greater need for remote health services.
Harris is a lead care manager at Pair Team. She manages the company’s virtual interdisciplinary team, including a nurse practitioner, a registered nurse, and a behavioral health manager. Clients who work with Pair Team receive coordinated medical, behavioral, and social services to address their complex health and life situations. They can access virtual guidance from a behavioral health specialist over the phone and can also be connected to community-based providers for housing and other social support.
Pair Team helps Medi-Cal Enrollees
Pair Team has been a key player in delivering ECM to Medi-Cal enrollees. Pair Team has partnered with medical providers to expand its model to primary care providers across the state. The company’s tech-enabled care service model simplifies case management, making it easier for providers to offer coordinated care to high-risk populations.
The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) recognized the potential of Pair Team and invested in the start-up to help extend its model. This investment has allowed Pair Team to continue providing virtual and on-ground case management teams to primary care providers nationwide, ensuring that Medi-Cal enrollees receive the care they need.
Pair Team’s model has been precious during the pandemic, as it has allowed providers to offer remote health services to their patients. By providing coordinated care and virtual guidance, Pair Team has helped to improve health outcomes for Medi-Cal enrollees facing complex health and life situations. The company’s approach to simplifying case management has been practical, making it easier for providers to offer the care their patients need. As the healthcare landscape evolves, Pair Team’s model will continue to be essential in providing remote health services and improving health outcomes for those who need it most.
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