Pair Team Expands Into New California Markets to Increase Access to Quality Health Care For Underserved Communities

The virtual and community-based care solution now connects patients to local care teams in 9 CA counties, helping them overcome barriers to physical, mental and social care

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pair Team, a virtual and community-based primary care solution connecting Medicaid's highest-risk patients to high-quality care, today announced its expansion into seven new California markets: Fresno, Merced, Monterey, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties. This move enables the company to further improve access to California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) care benefits by reaching a larger number of patients, providers and community health partners.

CalAIM is a long-term commitment from The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to transform California's Medicaid health care program, Medi-Cal, into a more equitable, coordinated and person-centric program. While the initiative has shown positive results in improving access to care, primary care providers (PCPs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) are struggling to participate in this new model of care due to a lack of funding and necessary resources.

Pair Team targeted these seven new markets due to their individual need for more accessibility to CalAIM programs. For example, with 2.7M Medi-Cal members, Los Angeles County hosts some of the most high-needs individuals nationwide. Additionally, counties in the Central Valley of California continually encounter systemic access challenges for Medi-Cal beneficiaries, particularly in terms of the availability of primary care physicians.

"Over 13 million Californians — one in three — rely on Medi-Cal for their health care coverage. However, many face barriers in receiving care including lack of transportation, housing and mobile phone access," said Neil Batlivala, CEO and co-founder of Pair Team. "Health care is a basic right for every American and shouldn't be more difficult to access for any one person. It's our mission to bridge the care access gap, and this expansion enables us to do so for more Californians. We're excited to continue bringing care to those who need it most alongside our innovative partners in these communities."

Pair Team eliminates barriers to care by partnering with local clinics, shelters, food pantries and other CBOs, providing them with services (i.e., virtual urgent care, medication management, grocery delivery, housing navigation, etc.) via a comprehensive artificial intelligence-driven platform to support their most complex patients. It works with all types of safety-net organizations, acting as an extension to their teams by supplying a multi-disciplinary care team of community health workers, behavioral health specialists and nurses. By equipping its partners with the tools needed, Pair Team enables more patients access to the high-quality care they need.

Pair Team's solution is funded through the Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Health Worker benefit under the CalAIM program. It works with partners including Health Net, Molina Healthcare, California Health Care Foundation and Central California Alliance for Health, among others.

Pair Team fills an urgent need, partnering with medical providers across the state to deliver Enhanced Care Management services to high-risk populations," said Melissa Buckley, director at the California Health Care Foundation. "Their virtual and on-the-ground approach offers multiple touch points to local organizations and enables them to provide the tools and resources to help build a more equitable health care system."

By addressing social issues first to better care for Medi-Cal patients in California, Pair Team has engaged upwards of 49% of eligible, high-needs patients with a 94.8% retention rate, and demonstrated a 37% reduction in emergency department utilization. Through its mental health and chronic care management support, 72% of patients diagnosed with depression report reduced depression symptoms since enrollment and 62% of patients diagnosed with diabetes experienced reduced A1c scores.

With the expansion, it is now available in nine California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, Fresno, Merced, Monterey, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.

For more information about Pair Team or if you're interested in partnering, please visit www.pairteam.com.

About Pair Team
Pair Team connects underserved communities to high-quality care by partnering with local clinics, shelters, food pantries, and other community-based organizations. It acts as an extension of its partners to provide comprehensive clinical and mental health care while addressing the many social barriers to achieving a high quality of life such as access to housing, food or transportation. The company's shared community health platform leverages artificial intelligence to implement clinical best practices, making it the market leader in California's complex care program.

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SOURCE Pair Team