Gather Health, a socially-focused primary care solution for older adults, has recently opened its first primary care practice in Quincy, MA. after successfully raising over $15M in Series A funding. Participants in the round include Khosla Ventures, Maverick Ventures, and the Commonwealth Care Alliance. The company plans to expand into other locations and markets in 2024.
The new primary care model employed by Gather Health leverages a wrap-around care team approach, wherein EMTs and Guide Partners are hired from and for the communities being served. This approach transcends the traditional walls of doctors’ offices as centers of medical care and allows patients to enjoy in-clinic, at-home, or virtual care, depending on their unique medical and social needs.
Each dedicated care team consists of a Primary Care Provider, a Guide Partner to provide social support and help navigate the complicated healthcare system, and a Medical Technician Partner to provide patients with at-home visits. The company also offers transportation to patients for medical visits, a neighborhood office with space for classes and social events, and technology-enabled care designed to help patients in the comfort of their homes.
The company’s approach is overseen by Co-Founder Dr. John Loughnane, former Chief Medical Officer of Commonwealth Care Alliance, and has been developed based on his years of experience serving at-risk communities throughout the greater Boston area. Rob Pahlavan, an industry veteran focused on complex patient care, led the company formation process as a Partner at Healthcare Foundry. Gather represents the third company launched from the platform.
Dr. Brent Asplin, former Chief Operating Officer of VillageMD and President of Village Medical, has joined Gather Health as Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. He notes: “We will be the only at-risk primary care platform purpose-built to address social determinants of health with care team members serving their own neighborhood community. In my years as a physician and clinical operator, I’ve seen socially and medically complex patients struggle, especially in fee-for-service models, to get the healthcare they deserve. Gather Health is built for them through our learnings from years of on-the-ground experience.”
Gather Health aims to open locations in underserved communities where top-quality care is needed most, with a focus on providing older adults with numerous benefits for better management of personal health while strengthening their sense of community overall. The company’s technology-driven social primary care model has received praise from investors who believe that it will create generational health and equity for each community, one patient at a time.
Alex Morgan, Partner at Khosla Ventures shares: “The last decade has seen massive technological advances and leaps in our understanding of how primary care can be utilized to address patient needs. However, to date, there has been little real effort to bring a new model of care to those who can benefit from it the most, lower-income older adults. Gather’s technology-driven social primary care model is doing just that, connecting people to the care they need in a modality that best suits their personal circumstances.”
Prateesh Maheshwari, Managing Director at Maverick Ventures, adds: “We are excited to back Dr. Brent Asplin, Dr. John Loughnane, Rob Pahlavan, and the rest of the Gather team in building a primary care model for socially & medically complex patients. The combination of in-clinic, in-home, and virtual care will create generational health and equity for each community, one patient at a time.”
