NYU Langone taps Isaac Health to develop new virtual dementia care model
NYU Langone Health is launching a new telemedicine model for Alzheimer's disease and memory care in partnership with Isaac Health, an expert-led virtual platform for dementia care.
Founded in 2022, New York-based Isaac works to bridge the gap between growing memory care needs and a shortage of specialists, a mismatch that causes many patients to miss critical treatment windows. Joel Salinas, co-founder and chief medical officer of Isaac, said the collaboration brings together NYU's clinical expertise in neurology and memory care with Isaac's ability to deliver specialized levels of care virtually and at scale.
He noted that NYU clinicians refer their patients to Isaac, and then, rather than waiting months for a specialist appointment, they quickly schedule a virtual visit with a brain health expert, usually within a week or so.
“If a patient doesn't have reliable internet or is uncomfortable with technology, a trained aide can come to the home and set everything up so that visits can still take place,” Salinas explained.
He added that Isaac designed the platform to allow patients to stay connected to NYU's broader system for in-person visits, diagnosis or advanced treatment when needed. Patients are followed over time—receiving ongoing care management, access to a 24/7 support line, and regular check-ins as needs change.
“The result is faster access to expert care without sacrificing clinical rigor or continuity,” Salinas said.
Overall, Isaac's partnership model with the health system is designed to allow patients to move smoothly between virtual care and in-person services, and for smooth communication between the two organizations, he said.
Through these partnerships, Isaac aims to remove geographic and logistical barriers so that memory care specialists can reach patients earlier in the disease course and provide care that preserves independence and quality of life for as long as possible.
“Our goal is to dramatically shorten the time it takes for people to get expert care for brain health and memory. Today, many patients wait a year or more to get help. The goal of this model is to get them treated within days,” Salinas declared.
He noted that NYU is the first major health system to embed Isaac's virtual model directly into its care pathways, and it could provide a blueprint for how health systems can expand high-acuity, aging-related care amid a shortage of neurologists and soaring demand. The company already has partnerships with several health plans, including Atrio Health Plans and Independence Blue Cross.
The real test will be whether Isaac's model can deliver consistent results beyond early partnerships. The startup said it will track process metrics, such as the average time to a patient's first appointment, as well as outcome metrics, such as those related to patient experience, cognition, functionality and caregiver burden.
Photo: MoMo Productions, Getty Images
