Amida Care and Unite Us Partner to Connect Health, Human, and Social Service Organizations in New York City

NEW YORK / AGILITYPR.NEWS / March 13, 2024 /

The new collaboration will enhance care coordination to address critical social needs that impact members’ health in support of the New York 1115 Waiver Demonstration. 

Amida Care, New York’s largest Medicaid Special Needs Health Plan specializing in providing comprehensive health coverage and coordinated care to people affected by HIV, and Unite Us, the nation’s trusted technology partner for social care transformation, are partnering to address the unmet social needs for individuals across New York City through Unite Us’ coordinated care network known as Unite NYC in preparation for the New York 1115 Waiver implementation. This partnership will securely connect Amida Care’s members in need with community-based resources that can be difficult to navigate.

Using the Unite Us Platform, the Unite NYC network enables health plans, providers, government, and community-based organizations (CBOs) to send and receive secure electronic referrals and track outcomes in real time. Members can connect to organizations specializing in various needs, including medical and behavioral health, food insecurity, housing and shelter, and legal services while delivering the Amida Care team visibility into the referral status and specific outcomes of each case. This streamlined approach to care coordination results in more seamless, proactive management of whole-person health to ensure that members’ needs are met and provide deeper insights that can be used to drive preventative initiatives.

“With the recent approval of New York state’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver and new Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information reporting requirements, we are committed to supporting Amida Care as they take on a more prominent role in promoting health equity for the most vulnerable Medicaid members,” said Marc Natale, New York State Director of Customer & Community Success at Unite Us. “Our partnership will connect Amida Care members to Unite Us’ robust network of social care services, thereby increasing their access to needed care, lowering costs, and improving health outcomes.”

Participation in the Unite NYC network is free for CBOs and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) like community health centers, free clinics, and nonprofit organizations. The network provides a central point of collaboration for organizations to securely send and receive referrals to and from other network members to ensure new clients receive the necessary assistance they are seeking and deliver insights into the progress and outcomes of referrals at scale. By joining the network, organizations increase their visibility, helping them address co-occurring needs more effectively.

“Since its founding 20 years ago, Amida Care has met the needs of New Yorkers affected by HIV by focusing on the coordination of health care and social services, creating a model of care that focuses on the whole health needs of our members,” said Dr. Vera S. Antonios, Medical Director of Amida Care. “Our partnership with Unite Us will help us better support the New Yorkers we serve. Identifying our members’ social challenges and connecting them to resources on one central platform will help our teams more effectively meet our members’ needs. We are excited that we can offer this service to our members.”  

Nonprofits, community-based organizations, and other providers seeking to connect their clients and patients to Amida Care services within the Unite NYC network are encouraged to reach out at uniteus.com/contact/.