VBCA Podcast New episode of the Value-Based Care Advisory Podcast Listen on Apple Podcasts →

Together: We Shape the Future of Healthcare.

We partner with the most influential organizations in healthcare to invent, launch, and scale visionary solutions — pioneering tomorrow's healthcare today.

  • ProvidersPayers · Governments
  • AcceleratorFounders & startups
  • VBCAPodcast & library
A person in an orange top wearing a virtual-reality headset, surrounded by orange and red circular shapes.

What we do

Three ways we move healthcare forward.

An illustrated calendar showing scheduled milestones labelled Technical Assistance, Implement, and Data + Reporting on a lavender background.

01 — Expertise

Expertise

Hands-on advisory for the people who run healthcare — providers, payers, and government.

Enhancing healthcare delivery through hands-on technical assistance for providers.

We give payers robust technical support to navigate managed care, regulatory compliance, and healthcare technology — so they can deliver efficient, compliant, high-quality services to their members.

Strategic advisory and implementation support for federal, state, and local government — helping them meet today's challenges, prepare for tomorrow's, and deliver real value to the public.

02 — Innovations

Innovations

An accelerator at the heart of the startup ecosystem — turning visionary ideas into real products.

At the Accelerator we sit at the heart of the startup ecosystem, helping founders turn visionary ideas into real, world-changing products.

From funding to networking, we open doors that might otherwise remain closed. Our extensive network of investors, industry experts, and fellow entrepreneurs becomes your network.

Every journey is unique. We provide personalized mentorship grounded in real-world experience and industry best practices.

03 — Advocacy

Advocacy

Your voice matters. We strengthen your funding, your payer relationships, and your negotiating position.

We identify diverse revenue streams, optimize funding models, and secure grants and investments — for survival and lasting prosperity.

From first outreach to ongoing communication, we help you build payer partnerships that strengthen your negotiating position, streamline reimbursement, and improve service delivery.

Negotiate contracts with confidence. We arm you with the knowledge and tactics to win agreements that reflect the true value of your services, protect your interests, and set clear expectations.

A promotional graphic with a female boxer, a circular V mark, and the words Your Voice Matters — Upgrade Your Representation, on a pink background.

Innovation Portfolio · Featured

Innovation Portfolio

Leading the charge in implementing the nation's healthcare infrastructure on behalf of the People of these United States.

Explore

Who we partner with

Who we partner with

Our partners are growth-equity firms, health plans, and venture-capital groups — all focused on systematic healthcare solutions, working with us to invent, launch, and scale what comes next.

  • Growth-equityfirms
  • Health plans& payers
  • Venture-capitalgroups
  • Governmentsfederal · state · local

Resource Center

Resource Center

View all resources →
Featured
Enhanced Care Management (ECM) · Medicaid · California · Funding

Empowering Families, Transforming Futures: Carenodes & Esteem Health's PATH Marketplace Impact

Discover how Carenodes, a trusted PATH TA Marketplace vendor, partners with Medi-Cal providers like Esteem Health to deliver trauma-informed care, support foster families, improve youth mental health, and transform outcomes for California's children, youth, and families through expert-led, coordinated care solutions.

Read more →
Tools · Data · Resource

Introducing the Care MAP Tool: A Comprehensive Guide

An Excel-based framework that helps providers coordinate complex care — with overview and scenario modules, a resource library, and an FAQ. Download it and elevate your care management.

Read more →
Data · Doulas · Maternity Care · California

Dashboards: Breastfeeding Intention and Duration Indicators

Key measures tracking breastfeeding intentions and practices among new mothers — from exclusive vs. combination feeding to duration through three months — to shape support programs and inform policy.

Read more →
California · Contracting · Tools · ECM

CalAIM Budget Estimator Tool: A Budget Template for CBOs Considering CalAIM Contracting

An Excel template helping community-based organizations estimate costs and revenue for Medi-Cal ECM and Community Support Services, with built-in assumptions and margin projections to support contract negotiations.

Read more →
California · ECM · Health Equity · Managed Care · Data · Tools

DHCS Quarterly ECM and Community Supports Report: Insights and Future Directions

The DHCS Q3 2023 ECM and Community Supports report shows the progressive rollout under CalAIM — expanding provider participation and diversifying services across the state.

Read more →
California · ECM · Managed Care · Medicaid · Health Equity

Pioneering Progress: CareNodes' Strategy for Advancing Health Equity through Data, Partnerships, and CalAIM

Our approach to health equity rests on four pillars: robust data capacity, cross-sector partnerships, leveraging California's CalAIM, and equitable access.

Read more →
Business · Mental Health · Capitation · Funding · Fee Schedules

Value-Based Payment Models in Behavioral Health: State Innovations and Outcomes

How states are reinventing behavioral-health payment — capitated models, care-coordination programs, and quality incentives in New Hampshire, Tennessee, Vermont, and the CCBHC initiative — to improve outcomes and sustain financing.

Read more →
Schools · Funding

Strategies for Funding School Mental Health Services: Braided and Blended Funding

A guide to braided and blended funding — combining multiple streams into a sustainable foundation for comprehensive school mental-health support, with tips for implementation and stakeholder buy-in.

Read more →
Mental Health · Schools · Data · California · Youth

Navigating the Landscape of Youth Mental Health Hospitalizations in California

In 2019 California saw 5.3 youth mental-health hospitalizations per 1,000 (ages 5–19), with sharp county variation — underscoring the need for better access, education, and early intervention.

Read more →
Mental Health · Schools · California

Bridging Healthcare and Education: A New Frontier for Mental Health Services

Momentum is building to bring mental-health and substance-use services into school settings — dismantling access barriers and supporting students' academic, social, and emotional growth.

Read more →
Managed Care · Academy

Managed Care Business Models 101 - Digital Therapeutics & Health Technology

This post provides an in-depth discussion on healthcare business models, focusing on managed care, and is aimed at healthcare entrepreneurs, especially those new to the sector.

Read more →
California · Medicaid · Data · Managed Care · ECM

Exploring the Impact of Enhanced Care Management and Community Support Services in California

Explore the impact of California's ECM and Community Support Services in 2022. Our blog dives into their statewide implementation, member services, and demographic insights.

Read more →
California · Medicaid · Managed Care

Historic Pay Raise for Medi-Cal Providers (California Medicaid)

What makes these increases noteworthy is their scale. For each eligible code, rates are set to be at least 87.5% of the lowest Medicare rates in California. This significant financial boost is aimed at encouraging more providers to participate in the Medi-Cal program, thereby expanding access to healthcare services for enrollees.

Read more →
Managed Care · Network Management · Contracting · Legal · Tools · Resource

A Managed Care Resource: Navigating Legal Complexities in Healthcare

The Managed Care Legal Database is a resource identifying how state and federal statutes and regulations address many issues that may occur between private payers and physicians, such as prior authorization, credentialing, network adequacy, out-of-network payment, and contract termination.

Read more →

Let's shape what comes next.

Explore the Innovation Portfolio, or reach out directly — we'd love to hear what you're building.