Reflecting on 2024: A Year of Expansion
Friends of Upward Health,
As we approach the end of 2024, I want to take a moment to reflect on an incredible year. Together, we have made meaningful strides in our mission to deliver care to underserved patients with multiple physical, behavioral, and social health needs. Along the way, we have demonstrated growth, innovation, and resilience at every turn. Thank you for supporting our company and our work, and for being an integral part of this journey.
This year has been transformative, and I am eager to share some of our most notable milestones, which now serve as a strong foundation for future impact.
Expanding Our Patient Impact
At the heart of everything we do are the patients whose lives we have the privilege to touch. This year, we heard from countless individuals who shared how our Care Teams improved their health and wellbeing. Our clinicians provide personalized care, and diagnose, treat, and prescribe to meet patients’ complex needs.
One story that stands out is Sandra’s journey, captured below. She shared how our multidisciplinary approach and in-home care model helped her navigate daunting health challenges. If you haven’t seen the video yet, I encourage you to watch it here. It’s a powerful reminder of why this work matters at a societal level and how we’re making a tangible difference in the lives of those who need it most.
Expanding Our Program Reach
2024 was a year of innovation and internal growth. We introduced several new initiatives to enhance our ability to deliver exceptional care:
- Care Coordination Enhancements: Introduced a titration model which transformed our approach to social determinants of health, enabling us to identify, prioritize, and address patients’ needs more effectively. This priority-driven model enables us to optimize and individualize the timing and intensity of interventions for each patient.
- Workforce Development: Welcomed nearly 200 new employees and overhauled our training programs to better support their success and growth. By enhancing the structure, content, and delivery of our training initiatives, we ensured that every team member receives comprehensive, high-quality preparation tailored to their roles. Recognizing the critical role of middle management at this stage of our company’s growth, we have also implemented a robust management education program.
- Technology Upgrades: Overhauled our data architecture and created a Unified Data Model to ensure accurate reporting of patient progress, historical insights, and future trend projections. These innovations empower our clinical team to make more informed decisions and deliver care with precision and efficiency. They also streamline field work, enabling our team to maximize impact while minimizing resource use.
Together, these initiatives have strengthened our foundation, allowing us to enhance patient care and provide greater support to our team.
Expanding Our Geographic Footprint
This year, in addition to our home state of New York, we expanded to both new states and within states where we were already providing care, tailoring our services to meet the unique needs of Medicare, Medicaid, and Dual Eligible populations.
- Arizona: Launched services by forging partnerships with leading health plans and developing a robust employee base of neighborhood care providers.
- California: Expanded across multiple counties in the San Francisco Bay area and in Central California, broadening our ability to serve patients with diverse needs across several communities.
- Louisiana: Secured two additional value-based contracts and now serve tens of thousands of patients statewide, including rural Northern Louisiana, where access to care is limited.
These expansions have allowed us to bring our unique care model to health plan partners we admire – all of which enables service to the most vulnerable individuals in those geographies.
Looking Ahead
As we look to 2025, we are inspired by the possibilities ahead and the theme of expansion that has defined our journey. Our vision remains steadfast: to bring compassionate, hands-on care to those who need it most. With your support, we will continue to expand our reach, innovate, and deliver results for our patients and partners.
Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and joyful holiday season – and a prosperous New Year.
Warm regards,
