In October of 2019, AllyAlign Health, an owner and convener of Medicare Advantage plans designed for senior housing residents, announced a strategic partnership with Juniper Communities, a national owner-operator of senior housing, to license Juniper’s Connect4Life program. The partnership allows AllyAlign Health to exclusively implement Connect4Life as the foundation for its CMS-approved care model as part of the company’s Medicare Advantage plans nationwide.
Connect4Life focuses on lifestyle management, which allows senior housing operators to focus on prevention and preservation of well-being, rather than costly interventions undertaken when residents get sick. More importantly, data points to the value of the Connect4Life model for managing population health because of its ability to efficiently target integrated care interventions in the high-cost, high-need Medicare population.
The Connect4Life model has three key components:
- Onsite delivery or primary care and other ancillary services used to foster prevention and restore well-being among high-cost, high-need individuals.
- High-tech foundation for shared data and communications that measures and evaluates quality metrics to define value.
- A “high-touch” coordinator who provides a one-on-one connection between patients and caregivers. The coordinator also drives communication between providers, data sharing and outcomes, and is the champion and facilitator of patient engagement.
“Data and outcomes have defined Juniper’s operational practices and innovative program development for more than a decade. That is why our Connect4Life model is gaining such steam,” said Juniper Communities CEO Lynne Katzmann. “Juniper offers a unique alternative to more traditional senior living providers and to similarly frail seniors living in the community—one that emphasizes a richly active and engaged approach to healthy aging.”
“The licensing and integration of Connect4Life is indicative of AllyAlign Health’s growing partnership with continuing care retirement communities, life plan communities, and stand-alone assisted-, independent-, and memory-care living communities. Connect4Life enables us to offer a proven model designed for the full spectrum of senior living residents and the providers who serve them,” said AllyAlign CEO Will Saunders.
AllyAlign Health formed in 2014, enabling leading long-term care providers to launch provider-sponsored managed care plans for vulnerable senior populations. Today the company manages Medicare Advantage institutional special needs plans, chronic care special needs plans for dementia, and dual-eligible special needs plans to reduce health care costs and improve quality of life.
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