Just one year after the company was founded, Bluebird Kids Health has announced plans to increase its pediatric clinic number from three to six.
The company (currently operates only in Florida) attempts to improve pediatric care access in underserved areas by establishing practices in these communities and accepting all types of insurance. In the U.S., almost half of children are covered by Medicaid, but many of their families have difficulty finding pediatricians who receive insurance – creating a troubled desert of pediatric care in low-income communities.
Bluebird founder and CEO Chris Johnson said the problem means that families in these communities are often forced to use emergency rooms to meet their daily care needs, which often puts them in debt for thousands of dollars.
He explained: “Medicaid children often have emergency departments and hospitalization rates similar to those of Medicare patients – it can be shocking when you think these patients are usually healthy children. Not only is this a health care issue; when children miss schools, when they are unable to work due to their health needs, economic mobility can affect education and the overall community cannot work.”
Johnson notes that Bluebird’s goal is to provide a unified, high-quality experience for all families – no matter what type they have. The startup’s business model is built around value-based care arrangements with Medicaid and commercial payers.
Johnson added that the company’s model also incorporates behavioral health into primary care to address the major gaps in pediatric services, especially for Medicaid patients.
Bluebird has grown to over 20,000 patients since opening three clinics in Palm Beach County last year.
Throughout the summer, the company will open three new DE Nevo locations – two in Jacksonville, one in Broward County. The clinics are intended to be located in the pediatric care desert where pediatricians have limited lower-income families, Johnson said.
“When we looked at the best places for these new practices, we essentially looked at a metro area and learned that there are not enough pediatricians to serve all the children living in that community. These tend to be communities in low-income communities. The natural evolution that takes place in the healthcare system is just 40 visits that occur in higher healthcare services, and more often than not, our number is 40 visits, and our number is often 40 visits, and in our experience, and in 40 visits, it is an increasingly community. For these families and these children who work hard to enter, our doors are open to everyone,” he declared.
The new clinic is also located in high traffic retail areas near public transport and community facilities to make it easy to reach. They offer extended evening and weekend times, online and phone date bookings, accommodating availability, and virtual and phone care options – all of which offer increased accessibility.
He added that the year Bluebird's first three clinics were operating, the company already had high demand for its services.
“We see a huge demand and appeal because we position the clinic in these areas of high unmet demand. We also see we have a very good consumer experience – our parents net promoter scores are always 90% north of 90% north. We also have a high employee satisfaction so we are able to attract and retain high-quality employees.”
He noted that children's health care outcomes are also improving.
He said Bluebird's care model reduced emergency room visits by more than 50%, and hospital admissions were nearly 70%. These results are mainly due to active management of common pediatric conditions such as asthma and anxiety, Johnson said.
Earlier this year, the startup raised $31.5 million in Series A funds. Johnson said the Bluebird could expand to New South Wales such as Georgia, Texas, Virginia and Carolina in response to payer interest in its value-based care model.
Photo: Steve Debenport, Getty Images
