Dr. Rahul Rajkumar founded Accompany Health in 2022 because he said low-income Americans with complex medical needs deserve better than what the healthcare system has given them.
On Tuesday, the company launched publicly with a $56 million Series A funding round. Accompany provides primary, behavioral and social care to low-income patients through at-home providers and virtual platforms.
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“When you’re sick, when you have chronic diseases and you’re in the healthcare system, it can be very scary, confusing and lonely,” Rajkumar said. “The ethos of our company is no one should go into this alone.”
Accompany offers patients a community health worker, advanced practice clinician, physician, psychiatrist, social worker and pharmacist, Rajkumar said. The team either acts as the patient’s primary care provider or augments existing medical relationships, he said. The initial visit is done at a patient’s home and then the team can treat patients virtually or in person.
“The most important thing is to build a deep trust with the patients we serve and you have to be in person,” Rajkumar said. “If we’re building a bridge to primary care providers, we have to be in person.”
The company is working with a health plan customer with 8,000 members in Detroit but declined to identify it. Accompany is reimbursed by the payer through a value-based care arrangement based on patient outcomes. Rajkumar said the company will look to add an additional market in the next year.
Before launching Accompany, Rajkumar held C-suite positions at Optum, Blue Cross North Carolina and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield. He was also the deputy director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation for four years.
Venture capital firms Venrock, ARCH Venture Partners, IVP and Evidenced, along with investment management firm Granite Capital Management, participated in the funding round.
