Innovating beyond barriers that limit access to quality healthcare
PROJECT PARTNER
Innovating beyond barriers that limit access to quality healthcare
Howard Rubin, Chief Information Officer at Evara Health, discusses the technological initiatives transforming the not-for-profit organisation’s approach to patient care.
barriers
Not-for-profit healthcare organisation Evara
Health was founded in 1980 with the mission to provide affordable healthcare services.
ased in Pinellas County, Florida, the organisation works closely with underserved, low-income, uninsured and underinsured communities to offer a high quality of care for a range of health conditions.
Joining us from Evara Health is Howard Rubin, Chief Information Officer, to discuss the technological initiatives transforming patient accessibility and redefining quality care. To begin, Howard explains the importance of taking a data-driven approach in the healthcare industry.
“We consider ourselves to be a data-driven organisation, and that philosophy starts right at the top,” says Howard. “Our CEO is committed to running this company based on facts and data, and we utilise emerging technologies to achieve that. More specifically, we look at our digital transformation in four areas.
“The first of these areas is access. Patient accessibility is one of our key priorities, and we’ve transformed the organisation to be able to provide that access in greater capacity, by working on making it easier for patients to schedule appointments and find care closer to them in more disciplines beyond basic primary care.
“We’ve started using an AI-powered system to give our patients the ability to use virtual agents to schedule appointments, so they don’t have to wait until one of our contact centre agents is available. We’re also providing our patients access to our MyChart patient portal to ensure they can see their data, and we have one of the highest activation and usage rates among Epic customers.
“Our second digital transformation focus is efficiency – investigating how we can make ourselves better while reducing costs. We’ve now introduced
“It’s been a priority for us to invest in technology that can help us provide better services to our patients”
Howard Rubin, Chief Information Officer at Evara Health
an application that allows our patients to check in and answer necessary information digitally, to avoid them having to wait in line at a front desk. We’re also using AI technology to help our providers be more efficient by utilising an ambient speech solution so they can spend more time directly with the patient and less time on the keyboard.
“The third area is quality. We’re one of the top ten federally qualified health centres in the United States for quality, and we’ve been able to establish that position by taking advantage of the technological innovations available to us to offer a higher quality of care. Our goal isn’t just to see patients, but to make the community healthier.
“Our final area of focus is customer service. We want to be the first choice for healthcare in Pinellas County, so we want to ensure we’re providing top-quality service to our patients. We send out patient satisfaction surveys after every visit, and our Net Promoter Score (NPS) numbers are in the eighties – significantly above the industry benchmark of 38 to 58.
“However, we are continuously striving to improve that number, elevating our digital capabilities to improve the services we offer and monitor our performance. It’s so important for us to not only improve our organisation but also grow our data so we’re able to continue to manage Evara Health based on facts and not just assumptions.”
With this ethos, the organisation has been able to make a real difference in the long-term health of its patients.
“It’s been a priority for us to invest in technology that can help us provide better services to our patients,” emphasises Howard. “For example, when assessing our patient data, we’ve found that many of our patients live in food deserts – making it very challenging to get quality food. So, we partnered with a local organisation to open three prescription food pantries.
“When patients come in, they fill out a food insecurity form. If the form shows that they have an area of food insecurity, their healthcare provider will write them a food prescription. There,
they can collect fruits, vegetables and even pre-made meals designed for patients who have specific medical conditions or dietary needs.
“It’s incredibly difficult for some of our patients to access healthy foods, which can significantly impact their health. We’re very lucky to be in a position where we can invest in our patient’s long-term health, and that wouldn’t be possible without us taking a datadriven approach.”
Evara Helth’s data-driven approach has underpinned the organisation’s Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) programme. Offering constant readings of patient vitals, this initiative is redefining Evara
Health’s capabilities in providing care for patients with chronic conditions.
“We started our RPM journey in 2022,” says Howard. “A real challenge for us during the COVID-19 pandemic was finding ways to continue to provide quality health care when we’re unable to physically see patients.
“Internally, we had discussed using remote patient monitoring to keep better track of our patients, and we were lucky enough to win a federal grant that provided us with the funding to enable that.
“We looked at quite a few partners for our RPM programme, which led
us to Health Recovery Solutions – due to the breadth and quality of their capabilities, as well as the partnership they offered us. It was important to us that whoever we worked with on this initiative is more than a vendor to us, and Health Recovery Solutions have been genuinely invested in this programme and its outcomes.
“We started this journey by enrolling our Accountable Care Organization (ACO) patients into the RPM programme by having our teams visit
“Health Recovery Solutions provided us with two different modalities for the RPM programme. The first is the kit we began with, which was pre-configured for the ease of our patients. The second solution is mobile based, where we provide the devices and the patient loads the application on their phone.
“Some of our patients felt more comfortable using their phones while others preferred the kits, so we’ve been able to alter our approach depending on the individual patient, and we’ve
“We looked at quite a few partners for our RPM programme, which led us to Health Recovery Solutions – due to the breadth and quality of their capabilities, as well as the partnership they offered us”
Howard Rubin, Chief Information Officer at Evara Health
patients at home and help them set up their health kit – containing a tablet, a Bluetooth scale, a Bluetooth pulse oximeter, a Bluetooth pressure cuff and, in some cases, a Bluetooth glucose monitor.
“From there, we began expanding the programme to patients with a variety of chronic diseases over the course of six months – initially focusing on patients who had at least three chronic conditions, then two, then one. At the same time, we began deploying the mobile version of the programme.
been seeing great results since we started rolling this out.
“For example, we had one patient who our nurses noticed had extremely high blood pressure readings. They quickly called this patient, and it turned out he was having a heart attack, without even realising it. We were able to get him to a hospital and have a stent put in, which may have saved his life.
“We have a number of stories like this that really demonstrate the value that RPM is bringing to our patients, and in
Healthier communities, stronger centres
HRS’s remote patient monitoring programme, Patient First Primary, is designed to create a win-win –improved community health outcomes and a stronger health centre. We understand your centre’s success depends on the well-being of the populations you serve.
For Your Patients:
We offer 24/7 clinical monitoring, ensuring they’re never alone. Unlimited telemedicine visits bring convenient, accessible care directly to their homes. Dedicated patient engagement teams provide personalised support, empowering them to take control of their health.
For Your Centre:
We provide seamless EMR integration, streamlining workflows and reducing administrative burdens. Expert billing and audit support maximises revenue and simplifies claims. End-to-end logistics management frees your team to focus on patient care. Our programme also directly supports value-based care initiatives, boosting HEDIS performance and strengthening your reputation.
Why Choose Patient First Primary from HRS?
• Elevate patient care: Proactive monitoring, personalised support and convenient telemedicine.
• Optimise practice efficiency: Streamlined workflows, expert billing and simplified logistics.
• Drive financial success: Increased revenue streams and improved reimbursement opportunities.
• Improve performance: Improve your clinical, operational and organisational metrics.
• More than technology, it’s about people. HRS has been recognised for its dedication to patient-centred care, receiving top honours from KLAS, Frost & Sullivan, US World News and Avia Marketplace. We’re committed to partnering with you to deliver the best possible care for your community.
Deliver exceptional care and achieve operational excellence. Together.
Experience the Patient First Primary difference. To schedule your free demo today, visit: www.healthrecoverysolutions.com.
2024 we saw a 19% improvement for our patients with hypertension and a 20% improvement for our patients with diabetes in our RPM programme.
“So we’ve really seen that this technology is helping our patients get healthier, which is why last year we expanded the programme again, this time with a focus on maternal health for underserved communities.
“Expectant mothers can develop gestational diabetes or hypertension during their pregnancies, which needs to be addressed fairly quickly. We had one mother on the programme who began showing some indicators for hypertension, and we were able to identify that and get her to the hospital
before it had any impact on the mother or baby.
“This programme has been of tremendous value to us and our patients. Currently, we have approximately 100 patients on the programme, and we’re hoping to get another 50 over the next six months.
“We’ve always known that there would be huge value to this programme, but the cost wasn’t feasible to us initially. However, RPM services are now covered under Medicare and Medicaid insurance, which has transformed the reimbursement picture for us and made it possible to extend the programme beyond our initial federal grant.”
According to Howard, working alongside a partner like Health Recovery Solutions has been critical in expanding Evara Health’s capabilities.
“We look at Health Recovery Solutions as a partner, rather than a vendor,” reiterates Howard. “We’re working with them on a number of initiatives – they have a fantastic portal that we use to manage our programmes and monitor our patients, and we’re looking to incorporate that data into our Epic EHR system to give a more comprehensive overview of their health.
“However, one thing we have to very carefully monitor with this is the amount of data. A great thing about our RPM programme is that
it takes constant readings from our patients, but including that amount of data on their health record would be unnecessary and overwhelming – for both the patient and the doctor assessing them. We’re currently working with Health Recovery Solutions to implement that information in a way that is most valuable to our patients and our providers.”
Beyond the RPM programme, the organisation is also working with Health Recovery Solutions on a pilot programme for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).
“Typically, most of our patients use traditional finger prick glucose monitoring,” says Howard. “There are
a few vendors out there now that use CGM, where you have a tab on your arm or stomach that continuously sends glucose information to either a device or your smartphone.
“This saves patients from having to prick their finger regularly, which can make a huge difference for people and increase compliance rates. As a diabetic, I hate having to do finger prick tests, and a lot of patients feel the same. This could make a real difference in glucose monitoring.
“Initially, Health Recovery Solutions couldn’t incorporate CGM devices into their programme when we first started working with them, but they’ve been working on integrating several CGM
vendors into their system. We’re now working very closely with them to begin a pilot CGM programme for our patients. Overall, Health Recovery Solutions have been a great partner for us in terms of helping us widen our capabilities, and they’re always looking for ways to help us help our patients.”
As Evara Health looks ahead, the organisation is focused on building on its digital capabilities to continue to improve accessibility for its most vulnerable patients.
“We’re looking at a number of different areas as we turn to future initiatives,” says Howard. “A key one for us is AI. Like all organisations
“We’ve done a lot of work to map out where our patients are located in relation to our centres to build our understanding of the areas we consider healthcare deserts”
Howard Rubin, Chief Information Officer at Evara Health
today, we’re focusing on where we can improve our operations and provide a better service to our patients. We want to make ourselves more efficient but in a thoughtful and prescriptive way.
“We’ve developed an AI Governance Committee, responsible for ensuring that we don’t do anything that has
the potential to harm patient data. We’ve been able to improve patient accessibility using our contact centre AI solutions. Right now, that solution is limited to a select number of appointment types but we’re looking to expand it further to any of the appointment options that we offer.
“Another important consideration for us as we look ahead is partnering with more organisations in our community. We’re looking to work with various behavioural health organisations, hospices and other organisations so we can jointly benefit our patients. Alongside this initiative, we’re also looking to open more locations.
“Currently, we have 17 facilities and three mobile centres across the county, but we want to continue to expand our footprint for our patients who don’t have access to their own transportation.
“We’ve done a lot of work to map out where our patients are located in relation to our centres to build our understanding of the areas we
consider healthcare deserts. From there, we’re working on utilising our existing technological capabilities to provide better levels of access for those patients.
“As we increase our footprint, we’re also looking to provide more services – particularly for underserved/insured communities. There are a lot of specialty services out of reach for our patients, so we want to offer a more all-encompassing coverage for our patients.
“Today we offer almost a dozen different specialties, and we’re hoping to expand those services even more in the near future. Dermatology is a big area we’re looking at – we’re based in
Florida and there’s a lot of sun, but there’s very few dermatologists who will take Medicaid patients. What we’re working on now is finding ways to provide dermatology services to those patients.”
But while the work being done by Evara Health as an organisation is critical, Howard emphasises that none of it would be possible without the entire team behind it.
“We recently won a Stevie Award for our achievements in customer experience, which really means a lot to us,” celebrates Howard. “It shows the work we’re doing to provide for our patients is being recognised, and I’m so proud of the team we have here.
“In particular, I have to give recognition to Marie Menendez, our Telehealth/RPM Specialist. She’s done an incredible job in rolling out and managing our RPM programme and without her, none of what we’ve achieved would be possible.
“I can’t overemphasise the work and dedication our whole team have put into our initiatives, and it’s truly what makes Evara Health such a great organisation.”
Learn more about Evara Health here.
Marie Menendez
ADDED VALUE
The Health Choice Network
“We’re part of a collaborative called the Health Choice Network (HCN),” says Howard. “They provide us with our Electronic Health Record and several other technology and clinical quality services. With these services, we have the capacity to focus on what’s most important to us –providing the quality care needed to make our patients and the community healthier.
“What’s also so valuable about this collaboration is that it provides us with an opportunity to bounce ideas off of a group of other healthcare professionals. For example, a number of our sister organisations have come to us to ask about how we’ve implemented our AI-based contact centre, and we’ve been able to help them launch something similar.
“We were also recently looking for a new vendor for one of our devices, and I was able to go to a few peers within this organisation and get their insights instead of going to 50 different vendors. It’s an incredible support network, and it makes it so much easier to share information among a trusted group.”
Connect with Howard
evarahealth.org