Happy Kids Pediatrics/Feliz Care Centers Continue Long-Time Partnership with Equality Health Network for Value-Based Care Success

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Aug 16, 2023, 08:03 ET

Arizona's Largest Family-Owned Pediatric Practice Renews Partnership, Enters Five-Year Exclusive Contract to Ensure Continued Success of Whole-Patient, Proactive Value-Based Care

PHOENIX, Aug. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Equality Health, a leader in value-based care, announced today that Happy Kids Pediatrics and Feliz Care Centers, a 23-year-old independent pediatric practice and associated family practice serving the greater Maricopa County, AZ region, has renewed its partnership and signed a five-year contract with Equality Health Network. As the largest family-owned pediatric practice in the state, Happy Kids/Feliz Care was an early adopter in joining the Equality Health Network and has been working with the value-based care enabler since 2017.

Jose Francisco Carrazco, M.D., F.A.A.P., founder and medical director of Happy Kids/Feliz Care with a pediatric patient.

"Equality Health has been a tremendous strategic partner and a significant driving force in our successful shift from fee for service to quality, value-based care," said Jose Francisco Carrazco, M.D., F.A.A.P., founder and medical director of Happy Kids/Feliz Care. "From the easy-to-use technology, CareEmpower^®, to the people -- that literally act as extensions of our practice in the community -- Equality Health provides a comprehensive solution set that enables our clinics to be successful in value-based care and unburdens our clinic teams of administrative work in the process."

Carrazco continued, "Our goal is to make whole-person care accessible and sustainable regardless of socioeconomic circumstances. Equality Health helps us remain focused on delivering enhanced care, while keeping the practice moving forward as a thriving business."

Happy Kids and Feliz Care Centers initially engaged Equality Health to help the practices to retool its workflows and processes to align with value-based care, to help ensure access to care, and to assist patients with non-medical factors, such as Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), which pose challenges to individual health and care access.

"Happy Kids/Feliz Care is an amazing value-based care success story, and we are proud to work alongside their team to enable them do what they do best -- providing exceptional care for the families of Maricopa County," said Lisa Stevens Anderson, Regional Market President for Equality Health. "This practice has been with us since the beginning, and we are thrilled they have been so satisfied with the partnership, Dr. Carrazco and his team have chosen us to be their exclusive value-based partner for another five years."

"Independent primary care practices (PCPs) like Happy Kids/Feliz Care are the lifeblood of community health, and Equality Health is dedicated to helping providers not only successfully pivot to value-based models, but to thrive in the new healthcare ecosystem," she said.

Equality Health services provided to Happy Kids/Feliz Care include access to payer contracts with the major Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and other payers; bearing risk and offering a value-based financial model; providing a dedicated performance practice manager who helps the practice gain access to SDoH services such as housing, food and transportation; and the value-based care tech platform, CareEmpower^®, which helps the practice track patient populations, trigger proactive care approaches, and report for the new VBC quality metrics.

Happy Kids/Feliz Care takes full advantage of Equality Health's offering, and effectively leveraged CareEmpower's telehealth solution to remain viable during the pandemic, gaining back at least 10 percent/month of the business lost during the pandemic across 2022.

About Equality Health
Equality Health is a technology-enabled primary care platform that leverages the proven capabilities of value-based payment models to transform healthcare for diverse and often marginalized populations. From predictive modeling to advanced care-tracking tools, utilizing Equality Health's proprietary software, participating PCPs can streamline value-based administration and stay one step ahead of a patient's journey. Equality Health's care model is Medicaid-first in design, partnering with over 3,500 PCPs and 700,000 lives across AZ, TX, and TN. Equality Health partners with practices to close care gaps, optimize performance, increase compliance, and improve profitability. Members engage with holistic and personalized programs delivered through the lens of social and cultural needs. Equality Health is revolutionizing how care is delivered by establishing critical linkages with payers, providers, members, and community resources.

For more information about Equality Health, visit www.equalityhealth.com or follow @EqualityHealth on Facebook, @EqualityHealth on Twitter, and @EqualityHealth on LinkedIn.

About Happy Kids/Feliz Care
Happy Kids / Feliz Care has been serving the Maricopa County/Phoenix metro for more than 20 years. Founded by Dr. Jose Francisco Carrazco, MD, FAAP, Happy Kids/Feliz Care is family-run and offers a wide range of services for pediatric and adult patients. Happy Kids/Feliz Care is dedicated to improving the health of the Phoenix community and supporting patients of all backgrounds.

Media Contact:
Mardi Larson, Amendola Communications for Equality Health, [email protected]

SOURCE Equality Health