NYU Langone Health is launching a new telehealth model for Alzheimer’s and memory care through a partnership with Isaac Health, a virtual platform for specialist-led dementia care.
Founded in 2022, New York-based Isaac seeks to close the gap between rising demand for memory care and a shortage of specialists, a mismatch that leaves many patients missing a critical window for treatment. The partnership brings together NYU’s clinical expertise in neurology and memory care with Isaac’s ability to deliver that same level of specialty care virtually and at scale, said Joel Salinas, Isaac’s co-founder and chief medical officer.
NYU clinicians refer their patients to Isaac, and then instead of waiting months for a specialty appointment, they are scheduled quickly for a virtual visit with a brain health expert, typically within a week or so, he noted.
“If a patient doesn’t have reliable internet or feels uncomfortable with technology, a trained helper can come to the home and set everything up so the visit can still happen,” Salinas explained.
Isaac designed its platform so that patients can stay connected to NYU’s broader system for in-person visits, diagnostics or advanced treatments when needed, he added. Patients are followed over time — receiving ongoing care management, access to a 24/7 support line and regular check-ins as their needs change.
“The result is faster access to expert care without sacrificing clinical rigor or continuity,” Salinas remarked.
Overall, Isaac’s partnership model with health systems is designed so that patients can move smoothly between virtual care and in-person services, with both organizations in fluid communication, he said.
Through these partnerships, Isaac is aiming to remove geographic and logistical barriers so that patients can be reached by memory care specialists earlier in the disease course, as well as provide care that preserves their independence and quality of life for as long as possible.
“The goal is to dramatically shorten the time it takes for people to access expert brain health and memory care. Today, many patients wait a year or more for help. This model aims to get them seen within days,” Salinas declared.
NYU is the first major health system to embed Isaac’s virtual model directly into its care pathways, and it could offer a blueprint for how health systems can scale high-acuity, aging-related care amid neurologist shortages and soaring demand, he noted. The company already has several partnerships with health plans, including Atrio Health Plans and Independence Blue Cross.
The real test will be whether Isaac’s model can deliver consistent outcomes beyond early partnerships. The startup said it will be tracking process measures, such as the average patient’s time to first appointment, as well as outcome measures, like metrics tied to patient experience, cognitive and functional and caregiver burden.
Photo: MoMo Productions, Getty Images
