While many healthcare startups chase incremental improvements, some founders aim to fundamentally reshape access to care. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Yuvo Health CEO Cesar Herrera revealed an ambitious vision that extends far beyond traditional startup growth metrics.
The 20 Million Person Problem
“There’s an additional 20 million people in the US that need access to care that don’t have access to a health center,” Cesar explains. This isn’t just a market opportunity—it represents millions of Americans facing the same healthcare barriers Cesar experienced as an immigrant child.
Building the Infrastructure for Change
Understanding this goal helps explain Yuvo Health’s rapid scaling from 3,000 to 40,000 patients in just two and a half years. But their current growth is just the beginning. The company is already “on track to be about 80,000 next year,” according to Cesar.
These aren’t just numbers. Each represents a person gaining access to essential healthcare services through community health centers—the same institutions that provided care to Cesar’s family when they first arrived in America.
The State-by-State Strategy
Rather than attempting a nationwide rollout, Yuvo Health has adopted a methodical approach. As Cesar notes, “We do that state by state.” This strategic choice reflects both regulatory realities and the need to build deep relationships with health centers in each region.
Their model involves:
- Partnering with existing health centers
- Making these centers financially sustainable
- Enabling them to serve more patients
- Expanding to new states systematically
From Mission to Machine
What makes Yuvo Health’s vision particularly compelling is how they’ve aligned business incentives with social impact. By becoming a risk-bearing entity that funnels value-based care revenue to health centers, they’ve created what Cesar calls “this machine to support those additional 20 million people.”
This “machine” has several key components:
- Direct contracts with health plans
- Risk-bearing capabilities
- Value-based care infrastructure
- Partnership model with health centers
Beyond Traditional Healthcare Metrics
While most healthcare startups measure success through revenue or user growth, Yuvo Health’s vision introduces a different metric: increased access to care. They’re not just trying to build a successful company—they’re working to solve a fundamental healthcare access problem that affects millions of Americans.
The Broader Impact
The implications of Yuvo Health’s vision extend beyond just patient numbers. By making community health centers financially sustainable, they’re strengthening the foundation of healthcare access for underserved communities across America.
This approach addresses several critical challenges:
- Financial sustainability for health centers
- Access to care for underserved populations
- Infrastructure for value-based care
- Scalable model for healthcare delivery
Making the Vision Reality
What sets Yuvo Health’s vision apart is how it combines ambitious scale with practical execution. Rather than promising to revolutionize healthcare overnight, they’re building a systematic approach to expanding access—one state, one health center, and one patient at a time.
For healthcare founders, Yuvo Health’s vision offers valuable lessons about:
- Setting ambitious but achievable goals
- Building scalable infrastructure
- Aligning business and social impact
- Taking a methodical approach to expansion
As they work toward their goal of serving 20 million additional Americans, Yuvo Health is demonstrating how startups can address fundamental healthcare challenges while building sustainable businesses.
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