Episode 25: Rushika Fernandopulle, CEO of Iora Health

Innovation Rising, Presented by Healthbox

Today’s episode is the second episode in our series on new models of Primary Care! Our guest today, Rushika Fernandopulle, MD, is Co-Founder and CEO of Iora Health. Rushika is a physician who has spent more than ten years involved in efforts to improve the quality of healthcare delivered to patients. He was the first Executive Director of the Harvard Interfaculty Program for Health Systems Improvement, and served as a Managing Director of the Advisory Board Company. He serves on the faculty and earned his MD and Masters in Health Policy from Harvard University and completed his clinical training at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2011, Rushika Co-founded Iora Health; Iora Health is building a different kind of health system to deliver high-impact, relationship-based care, helping patients manage their health and navigate the healthcare system.

In this episode we cover:

• Rushika’s background and where his interest in improving healthcare delivery came from
• How the Iora Health model works
• What early iterations of the business model look like and what did Rushika try before arriving at what Iora is today
• As the company grows, how Iora Health continue to embrace innovation
• Iora Health has raised over $123M in funding to date; Rushika discusses the crucial inflection points in knowing when it was time to bring on new capital
• How Rushika responds to the criticism that these standalone primary care models could create more fragmentation in the system
• As Iora Health continues to expand and to raise money, besides capital, what Rushika looked for in his initial investors and what he looks for now in the later rounds
• Iora Health launched an Accountable Care agreement with Humana in Arizona and Washington for their Medicare Advantage population beginning in 2014. Rushika explains how Iora works with Humana and other insurers and where he sees possible opportunities moving forward
• What Rushika thinks about partnerships with health systems
• Where Rushika sees the future of these New Models of Primary Care heading

Connect with Rushika:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Connect with Iora Health:

• Website
• Twitter

Connect with Healthbox

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