MSU Health Care Announces Affiliation with Everside Health to Transform Employer-Based Primary Care Services in Michigan

June 30, 2021

Employers throughout the state now have an opportunity to significantly lower health care costs and improve employee health outcomes by leveraging best-in-class  primary care and research in an accessible model

Everside Health (formerly Paladina Health, Activate Healthcare and Healthstat), one of the largest providers of direct primary care in the country, and MSU Health Care today announced a partnership that will provide employers throughout Michigan with a better, more innovative health care solution. The unique collaboration is in response to growing employer concerns regarding ongoing increases in health care costs and barriers to quality health care for their employees.

“Until now, employers in Michigan had few choices when it came to health care delivery options,” said Chris Miller, CEO for Everside. “They had to rely on solutions created by large insurance companies or health systems.  But our new partnership with MSU Health Care is designed to change the status quo in employers’ favor by bringing together our proven direct primary care model and advanced technology with MSU’s strong innovation and research capabilities. The result is expected to be measurable cost savings with improved access to quality care.”

Everside has a long history of successfully collaborating with various health care organizations to deliver accessible, high-quality care while lowering costs for employers and patients. However, this collaboration with MSU Health Care marks the first time the organization has partnered with an academic health center.

"The pandemic highlighted the need for every individual to have a medical home supported by a robust relationship with a primary care team for maintaining health,"
Seth Ciabotti, CEO for MSU Health Care

Everside’s direct primary care model is positioned as an alternative to America’s current fee-for-service health care delivery model. Under the Everside model, employers or other plan sponsors pay a fixed cost per employee for nearly 24/7 unlimited access to primary care providers. It is not a replacement for an employer-sponsored insurance plan, but rather a complementary service focusing on keeping employees well. Patients receive convenient, low- or no-cost access to physicians and 24/7 virtual care, reducing the need for costly ER use. On average, employers on the Everside program save 20% on claims costs by year four, largely as a result of Everside’s ability to treat health issues early on before they become catastrophic or require a more expensive urgent care or emergency department visit. The model also is poised to benefit individuals through the Everside model of care.

“The collaboration with Everside is another example of working with like-minded organizations to fulfill our mission to improve the health of all communities in Michigan,” said Seth Ciabotti, CEO for MSU Health Care. "The pandemic highlighted the need for every individual to have a medical home supported by a robust relationship with a primary care team for maintaining health. Telehealth visits proved to be a viable delivery mechanism for increasing access to health care in rural and underserved areas in Michigan.”

“We are receiving very positive feedback on this new offering from a wide array of parties, including manufacturers, unions and municipalities,” said Roger Jansen, PhD, Chief Innovation and Digital Health Officer for MSU Health Care. “Employers and other potential plan sponsors are eager for a new health care option that saves them money and improves the quality of and access to care for their employees and members.”

According to Jansen, Everside emerged as the natural choice for the collaboration because the company has a dedicated division under its legacy Activate brand name that exclusively serves unions. Given Michigan’s strong history with unions, it was important for MSU to have a partner that fully understands union members' unique health care needs.

“MSU Health Care represents an ideal partner for us because of the organization’s track record for innovation,” said Kirk Rosin, chief revenue officer for Everside who led the negotiations with MSU that started in late 2020. “Working with an academic health center provides us with the opportunity to educate residents about our new and improved model for treating patients. The future of health care is all about using data in a meaningful way, and our model is based on using population health data to effectively manage the most expensive chronic diseases and prevent more serious, costly health problems.”

Based on initial feedback to the new offering, Rosin confirmed that the two organizations are exploring real estate options in the Lansing and Grand Rapids areas for their inaugural employer-based health center.

Interested employers and sponsors of this innovative program available through MSU Health Care and Everside can call 844-205-6403.

 

About Everside Health

Everside Health, formerly Paladina Health, Activate Healthcare and Healthstat, is one of the largest direct primary care providers in the U.S., operating approximately 340+ health clinics in 33 states located at or near the facilities of its employer, union and other benefit sponsor clients. Everside’s patient-focused, care-obsessed, technology-driven health care delivery model aligns incentives to benefit the patient, the physician and the benefit provider, all while reducing the total cost of care. Patients receive convenient, low- or no-cost access to physicians and 24/7 virtual care, reducing the need for costly ER use. Everside Health is based in Denver. For more information, visit www.eversidehealth.com.

About MSU Health Care

MSU Health Care is the fully-integrated academic health center of Michigan State University, representing more than 600 faculty and affiliate providers. Our commitment to safe, high-quality patient care is realized through our comprehensive services for people of any age, education of the next generation of health care providers and medical research. MSU Health Care provides nearly 400,000 inpatient and outpatient visits annually. MSU Health Care providers can be found in more than 100 locations, in nearly every county of the State of Michigan delivering primary and specialty care. The activities of our clinical services support the academic and research initiatives of Michigan State University. Our providers treat patients at Henry Ford, McLaren Greater Lansing, Sparrow and Spectrum hospitals as well as more than a dozen additional large health care systems throughout the state. As a separate, 501(c)3 corporation of Michigan State University we are positioned to create partnerships with like-minded organizations to transform health care. For more information, visit healthcare.msu.edu.

 

Media Contacts

Melissa Jegla | jeglamel@msu.edu | (517) 599-4795

Stuart Sutley | stuart.sutley@eversidehealth.com