BOTTINEAU – Caret Health, a healthcare innovation and high-risk patient management agency, has announced a strategic partnership with the Rough Rider Network, a rural hospital network of 23 independent rural hospitals in North Dakota, to launch a Medicaid Quality Improvement Collaboration. This program aims to improve healthcare quality in areas identified by North Dakota Medicaid in the Health and Human Services Department.

The new program will focus on promoting communication, improving quality and reducing cost for high-risk Medicaid patients through advanced analytics and enhanced care coordination. Through this initiative, Caret Health and the Rough Rider Network will leverage their combined expertise to engage chronically ill patients in proactive care, promoting general wellness and reducing healthcare costs by improving management of conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, ultimately preventing complications and enhancing patient outcomes.

“The partnership between Caret Health and the Rough Rider Network is a testament to the shared commitment to driving excellence in healthcare, especially for high-risk and/or often underserved populations,” said Dr. Riya Pulicharam, chief medical officer of Caret Health. “The two organizations will demonstrate that a low-cost and efficient team, through the usage of remote care as the primary engagement mechanism, can make a remarkable impact on the health of rural patients. We believe this will be a big step forward for improving health outcomes within resource-constrained environments.”

“Together, we will employ an innovative strategy to identify patients with unmet healthcare needs and then pair those patients with North Dakota’s primary care experts. Our goals are to provide better patient care, improve community health and use North Dakota’s healthcare funds wisely,” said Dr. J. Mark Gingerich, primary care physician at SMP Health St. Kateri, Rolla.

“It is only through the engagement of programs like this that we will be able to change the future of healthcare in rural areas,” added Paula Wilkie, chief financial officer at SMP Health St. Kateri.

The program is set to begin in the coming weeks, with results anticipated over the next six months.

Area facilities in the Rough Rider Network include Williston, Watford City, Tiolga, Ray, Crosby, Stanley, Powers Lake, Bottineau, Dunseith, Rolla, Cando, Maddock, Rugby and Harvey.