Palliative care provider Tuesday Health has reached the one-year mark in its partnership with the managed care organization CareSource.

The company in July 2024 penned Medicare Advantage organization CareSource to offer services to its beneficiaries, bringing additional palliative care resources to patients in northeast Ohio.

To date, the collaboration has borne fruit in terms of improved patient outcomes, according to Tuesday Health CEO Jim Wieland.

“Tuesday Health delivers whole-person palliative care that meets people where they are, physically, emotionally and spiritually,” Wieland told Hospice News in an email. “We work with individuals facing serious illness to help manage symptoms, reduce unnecessary hospital use, and support families and caregivers. Across our population, we consistently see reductions in acute care utilization, driven by proactive symptom management, 24/7 support, and care that aligns with people’s needs before they reach a crisis point.”

Tuesday Health’s supportive care services operate on hybrid in-person and virtual models. Nurses, social workers and advanced practice practitioners (APPs) provide clinical care to patients in their homes, with input from palliative care physicians.

Layered over that is the mytuesday app, which is designed for continuous patient monitoring and allows patients to self-report symptoms or changes in their conditions.

The startup Tuesday Health launched in 2023, emerging from a partnership between Valtruis and Mass General Brigham Ventures. The company expects to develop similar partnerships in Ohio markets as well as two to three other states by early 2025, according to Wieland.

The Tuesday Health partnership is one of several palliative care investments by CareSource. Last summer, the Medicare Advantage company inked a partnership agreement with the palliative care operator Radiant Health. In April 2023, CareSource established a similar relationship with Pure Healthcare.

CareSource is a nonprofit managed care organization with more than 2 million members, offering coverage through Medicaid, the Health Insurance Marketplace and Medicare products.

The partnership with Tuesday Health came on the heels of a $60 million funding round in May 2024 for the provider company. CareSource was among the investors. Other participants included Valtruis, Blue Venture Fund and Mass General Brigham Ventures.

“CareSource has been a forward-thinking partner in expanding access to community-based palliative care,” Weiland said. “Through this partnership, eligible members are able to receive services, including symptom management, emotional and psychosocial support, advance care planning, and caregiver support, all provided either in a members’ place of comfort or virtually. It’s a comprehensive model that complements primary and specialty care.”

To mark the one-year anniversary of the partnership, Tuesday Health released a testimonial video featuring a Cleveland-area CareSource beneficiary named Pam who suffers from multiple serious illnesses. Through receiving palliative care, the patient improved her ability to walk and ride a bicycle and has avoided any emergency department visits or hospitalizations, according to Tuesday Health.

“The key is to make palliative care a proactive, embedded part of the continuum, not an end-of-life service but a support model that starts early and walks alongside the patient and caregiver,” Wieland said. “Partnering with Medicaid and Medicare plans like CareSource allows us to identify members earlier and tailor care to their needs across time. Successful integration also requires close collaboration with primary care and community organizations to ensure alignment and trust.”