WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tufts Health Plan, the number one health plan in the country*, and Iora Health, a rapidly growing and radically different medical group, today announced a collaboration where Iora Health will deliver exceptional, innovative primary care to individuals eligible for Medicare, focusing primarily on those aged 65 and older. Iora Health will open two primary care practices in the greater Boston area this fall that will be exclusive to Tufts Health Plan’s Medicare Preferred HMO and Senior Care Options members.

Tufts Medicare Preferred HMO and Senior Care Options plans earned a 4.5 star rating - based on a five-star scale - from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for 2015.

Both Iora Health and Tufts Health Plan are focused on improving health outcomes through better care management and coordination of care designed specifically for older adults. The Iora model is unique in that it provides patients with access to a robust care team, including a doctor, health coach and behavioral health specialist, and tightly coordinates patient care throughout the healthcare system. The team works closely with each patient, and spends more time to better understand each patient’s life, motivations, hopes, and fears. Together, the patients and care team create goals to empower the person in setting the course of their own health care.

Patients at Iora Primary Care are given same-day or next-day visits and 24/7 access to their doctor for urgent needs. The care team is available via email, phone, or video-chat and can accompany patients to visits outside of the practice or in a patient's home.

“Iora Health shares Tufts Health Plan’s commitment to improving the lives of our older adults through better access to high quality health care. This collaboration shows how we can advance care when payers and providers work together on innovative solutions,” said Patty Blake, president of Senior Products at Tufts Health Plan. “Iora Health’s innovative care team model and increased access to care align perfectly with Tufts Health Plan’s integrated care management model, which has been shown to improve our members’ health and wellness.”

“At Iora Health, we believe better health care starts with better primary care. We are reinventing the way patients experience care with the goal of restoring humanity to health care. This is especially important when caring for older adults,” says Rushika Fernandopulle, M.D., M.P.P., co-founder and CEO of Iora Health. “We share Tufts Health Plan’s dedication to providing older adults with the best health care and support possible so they can live their best life.”

The two Iora Primary Care locations, scheduled to open in September, are Townline Plaza, 287 Middlesex Ave. in Medford and at the Shops at Riverwood, 912 River St. in Hyde Park. For more information on how to become a patient, contact 617-649-2255 or https://www.ioraprimarycare.com/boston/

About Iora Health

Iora Health is restoring humanity to health care by providing a radically different model of primary care built from the ground up. Iora Health’s care model provides extraordinary service to patients to ensure improved health outcomes while also lowering overall plan costs. Our patients enjoy the benefits of better access to care, office and non-office based encounters (e.g. phone, text messages, and email), an accessible and transparent medical record, and robust educational offerings. Our practices, across the U.S., enjoy the benefits of smaller sizes, closer relationships with patients, and the opportunity to lead systemic change in healthcare delivery while working with a true team. For more information, please visit www.iorahealth.com.

About Tufts Health Plan

Founded in 1979, Tufts Health Plan is nationally recognized for its commitment to providing innovative, high-quality health care coverage. Touching the lives of more than one million members, Tufts Health Plan serves members in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, offering coverage across the life span regardless of age or circumstance.

* The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Private Health Insurance Plan Rankings and Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014-2015.