YoloCares has announced its disaffiliation from the California Hospice Network (CHN) after three years of collaborative partnership.

CHN is a coalition of nonprofit hospices designed to support the growth of community-based hospice care and leverage their collective scale and resources in value-based payment programs. Based in Davis, California, YoloCares affiliated with CHN in 2021. The decision to leave the network of nonprofit hospice providers comes alongside expanded and diversified services, according to YoloCares CEO Craig Dresang.

The nonprofit organization is ramping up efforts to innovate toward more person-centered care models.

“Ultimately, the decision to disaffiliate from CHN was made with the prioritization of patient care,” YoloCares indicated in a statement. “We see the advancement of care in California, one that prioritizes the social and emotional well-being of people with serious illness, and we are eager to be at the forefront.”

YoloCares in 2022 rebranded to better reflect its suite of services. The nonprofit provides hospice, supportive and palliative care and adult day services. The hospice provider also operates centers for caregiving and grief support and offers clinical education through its teaching arm YoloCares University.

During its tenure with CHN, the organization advocated with state policymakers on issues challenging end-of-life care delivery. YoloCares’ advocacy efforts included addressing program integrity concerns heating up in California, one of the four hotbed states experiencing rising challenges of fraud, waste and abuse in recent years.

Three California-based hospices — the Elizabeth Hospice in San Diego, Mission Hospice & Home Care in San Mateo and Hospice of Santa Cruz County — established CHN in 2019. Goals of the collaboration include reducing overhead costs, improving the members’ bargaining position with payers and health plans and easing the transition into value-based payment models.

YoloCares indicated a goal to “chart a new course” in care delivery. The organization has become a participating provider in the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) program. The organization recently received its certification as an enhanced care management (ECM) site after receiving $2.8 million in state funds to expand services as a provider in the CalAIM model. The five-year initiative is aimed at improving quality and well-being among the state’s Medicare beneficiaries.

Part of the nonprofit’s goals also include doubling its geographic footprint across California, according to Dresang.

“Over the last ten years, YoloCares has been deeply responsive to the changing needs of our community,” Dresang said in a statement shared with Hospice News. “From establishing the region’s first community-based palliative care program, opening an adult day program and expanding educational opportunities for caregivers and future clinicians, YoloCares’ strongest trait is its ability to evolve. The agency provides its communities with so much more than hospice and now plans to expand its mission from five to 10 counties.”