Aledade Empowers Primary Care ACOs With Updox's Telehealth Virtual Office Visits

BETHESDA, Md. and DUBLIN, Ohio, March 23, 2020 (Newswire.com) - ​​​​​​Today, Aledade announced an arrangement with Updox to offer a comprehensive telehealth solution to Aledade’s national network of physician-led Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). As physicians across the nation manage growing demands due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those practicing as part of Aledade’s network will now be able to offer patients timely telehealth visits.

“While our partner physicians across the country manage an unprecedented public health crisis, they are encouraging their patients to stay home and stay safe to minimize the spread of the novel coronavirus. But elderly and high-risk patients still need access to primary care. That’s why we are working with Updox to roll-out increased telehealth services to help expand access and keep vulnerable patients at home during this crisis,” said Farzad Mostashari, MD, CEO and founder of Aledade. “Telehealth can help keep patients safe, provide them with care for chronic conditions, all while maintaining revenue that practices need to keep operating. Simply put, this collaboration is good for patients, good for doctors, and good for society.”

In just the past three days, more than 150 practices have implemented this platform. Aledade will continue to roll this out to interested Aledade ACO primary care practices and clinics across the country in the coming weeks at a below-cost fee structure to further help its ACO primary care practices during these uncertain times. Aledade will work directly with the practices to set up the platform and implement best practices for telehealth visits. Additionally, Aledade will offer on-the-ground support from practice transformation specialists and a tech support team to troubleshoot the launch of this technology on the practice side.

This collaboration is part of Aledade’s overall efforts to support and empower primary care physicians through the outbreak of COVID-19, including the procurement of tens of thousands of KN95 respirators, many surgical masks, bottles of hand sanitizer, and other supplies; the creation and distribution of patient-friendly materials for practices to understand the crisis and communicate clearly with their patients; and detailed policy guidance in a rapidly changing public health landscape.

Updox’s telehealth solutions, part of its all-in-one collaboration platform, include Secure Text and Video Chat, and give providers HIPAA-compliant channels to reach patients too ill to get to the office, homebound, quarantined, not mobile, or in rural environments. As health care providers navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, Updox grants the opportunity for safe, effective screening and treatment, while helping reduce exposure to protect both staff and patients. Additionally, especially in the case of smaller practices, these telehealth solutions make it possible for quarantined providers to continue to see patients.

“Aledade’s ACOs continually set the standard for quality care, and enabling their clinics with a HIPAA-compliant telehealth solution demonstrates their commitment to rapidly responding to their ACOs’ needs,” says Michael Morgan, Chief Executive Officer, Updox. “Our approach of helping clinics connect with patients in the most impactful ways and our mutual dedication to supporting quick, secure, effective care in this time of COVID-19 makes this a great partnership.”

Aledade anticipates great demand for telehealth visits with as many as 500 to 1,000 providers accessing the platform across more than 20 states. By connecting its ACOs with their patients through telehealth services, Aledade can help lighten the strain on existing health care services during this crisis. In some markets, Aledade is also arranging for its partner physicians to see patients beyond their standard population to expand community access to care. 

“We are incredibly grateful to both Aledade and Updox for putting together a telehealth solution for our practice in a matter of days. It’s nice not to be facing this public health crisis alone,” said Jen Brull, MD, a physician at Post Rock Family Medicine in Plainville, KS and a member of the Aledade Kansas ACO. “Both companies are fully engaged in helping us get the tools we need to see more of our patients, and see them safely as we navigate the outbreak of COVID-19.”

About Aledade

Founded in 2014, Aledade partners with independent practices, health centers, and clinics to build and lead Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) anchored in primary care. Through these ACOs, Aledade empowers physicians to stay independent, practice medicine like they’ve always wanted to, and thrive financially by keeping people healthy. Aledade offers a comprehensive range of capabilities that includes cutting-edge data analytics, user-friendly guided workflows, unparalleled regulatory expertise, strong payer relationships, and local, hands-on support from attentive experts. In true alignment with more than 7,300 participating providers in 27 states, Aledade shares in the risk and reward across more than 80 value-based public payer and commercial contracts representing more than 840,000 lives under management. To learn more, visit www.aledade.com or follow on Twitter or Facebook.

About Updox

Committed to simplifying the business of healthcare, Updox is a single collaboration platform for out-of-hospital healthcare providers. Named for the past five years to the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies, Updox is integrated with more than 100 electronic health records (EHR) and pharmacy management systems and serves more than 400,000 users and 150 million patients. Updox offers a broad set of capabilities for patient engagement, provider communications and internal productivity that work together in a secure, easy-to-use collaboration platform. Updox was created specifically for the out-of-hospital market and gives customers access to a growing platform that focuses on solutions and services to make everyone delivering healthcare happy. Learn more at www.updox.com or follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

For more information:

Brian Chiglinsky, Senior Director of Communications, Aledade
[email protected] (540) 761-9786

Aisling Babbitt, Director of Communications, Updox
[email protected] (614) 580-2576

Source: Aledade, Inc.