Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), Connecticut's largest Medicaid services provider, has selected Escher Health, a healthcare financial AI company, to help identify and enroll patients who may qualify for Medicaid but are not currently covered.

The partnership arrives as federal policy changes are reshaping the Medicaid landscape. Provisions in H.R. 1 introduce program cuts, work reporting requirements, semi-annual eligibility re-evaluations, and a shorter reimbursement window for providers. Nationally, those changes are projected to result in 11.8 million Americans losing medical coverage over the next decade, largely due to paperwork burdens, missed deadlines, or difficulty completing the application process.

For YNHHS, the collaboration is expected to support continuity of care, reduce uncompensated care, and improve operational efficiency. Escher Health's platform empowers patients through self-service options and streamlined follow-up processes, and has supported more than 100,000 individuals in enrolling in Medicaid and other safety-net programs, including Disproportionate Share Hospital and 340B.

"Yale New Haven is committed to making it easier for people to access the latest medical treatments, as seamlessly as possible," said Jonathan Davis, CPA, Executive Director of Patient Access, Yale New Haven Health. "By partnering with Escher Health, we aim to better support patients who may qualify for Medicaid but are not yet enrolled, while also helping reduce administrative barriers for both patients and our teams."

The initiative also targets workflow improvements across patient access and revenue cycle operations.

"Our collaboration with Escher Health will help us proactively connect eligible individuals to coverage and care while improving operational efficiency across our patient access and revenue cycle workflows," said Tina Ferreira, Director of Patient Financial Access, Yale New Haven Health.

"Too many patients delay or forgo care because navigating eligibility and enrollment processes can be overwhelming," said Pedram Afshar, MD, PhD, CEO and founder of Escher Health. "We are proud to partner with forward-looking organizations like Yale New Haven Health to help patients access the right programs at the right time, while reducing administrative burden for healthcare staff."

YNHHS is the largest health system in Connecticut, comprising five hospitals, including Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence + Memorial, Westerly, and Yale New Haven hospitals, along with several specialty networks and Northeast Medical Group, a nonprofit medical foundation with hundreds of community-based and hospital-employed physicians.