The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) is pleased to partner with On Belay Health Solutions (On Belay) in a new initiative to support providers to reconnect with mission, save health centers vital revenue, and help drive health equity for underserved communities. Through the partnership, ACU and On Belay will help health centers better understand and adopt value-based care to increase resources and improve their ability to address health inequities for their patient populations.
“Community health centers have long been leaders in addressing health inequities, but razor-thin margins and limited resources have always been barriers to many CHCs’ efforts,” said Amanda Pears Kelly, ACU Executive Director. “Value-based care offers a key solution to help health centers yield greater savings and drive quality of care and outcomes. We’re pleased to partner with On Belay—whose Co-Founder and President served as a chief medical officer at a health center—to help demystify the transition to this innovative model to advance our shared mission. On Belay is a national organization whose experience and expertise—rooted specifically in the health center model—make them perfectly positioned to facilitate this process.”
This strategic partnership will allow On Belay to support ACU’s national network of health centers in implementing value-based care, an alternative to fee-for-service reimbursement models which is based on quality rather than quantity—and gaining access to the ACO Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (Reach) model. These efforts will build on a recent educational webinar featuring insights from Dr. Scott Early, On Belay’s Co-Founder and President, and Dr. Trinidad Tellez, Principal at Equity Strategies, LLC.
“Community health centers play a crucial role in our healthcare system, serving as lifelines for millions of underserved individuals and families,” said Dr. Early, On Belay’s clinical thought leader. “By partnering with ACU, On Belay is proud to support these vital institutions and help them adopt innovative models of care delivery to improve health equity and promote sustainable, patient-centered healthcare.”
Leveraging its deep knowledge base in healthcare delivery and CHC participation in value-based care, On Belay will offer exclusive assistance to ACU’s members and support to the association’s broader community. The collaboration will also include an upcoming educational session at ACU’s 2023 Annual Conference, “Transformation: Elevating Care, Clinicians, and Communities,” on July 23-26, in Washington, D.C.
“Our alliance with On Belay will help our members and community boost their financial sustainability at a moment when health centers are being confronted with extreme financial challenges—from workforce challenges, threats to the 340B Drug Pricing Program to the expiration of American Rescue Plan funding,” said Pears Kelly. “This is a vital opportunity to strengthen our community’s ability to continue offering innovative, patient-centric, and sustainable care.”
About ACU
The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) is a uniquely transdisciplinary membership association uniting clinicians, advocates, and organizations in the commitment to establishing a robust and diverse workforce to help transform communities to achieve health equity for all. Founded in 1996 by participants in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), ACU is the foremost advocate for the NHSC and leads advocacy, clinical, operational, and equity excellence and supports the healthcare workforce caring for America’s under-resourced populations.
About On Belay
At On Belay Health Solutions, we are inspired by the belief that healthcare should be about people first and foremost. Our mission is to empower healthcare providers to deliver the best possible care, while also optimizing their financial and operational performance. With our focus on value-based care, our team is committed to finding innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes while enhancing the provider experience. And because we believe in sharing the rewards of success, we offer shared savings programs to reward providers for achieving better patient outcomes. On Belay partners with practices to create a brighter, more sustainable future for healthcare. On Belay currently operates in 15 states, including Washington D.C.
