Planned Parenthood Builds on Long History of Innovation With Junto Health Partnership

For Immediate Release: Dec. 10, 2015

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NEW YORK, NY — Begun nearly a century ago and rooted in the courage and tenacity of American women and men willing to fight for women's health, rights, and equality, Planned Parenthood is committed to continually improving access to reproductive and sexual health care and information.

Continuing this proud tradition of innovation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) has entered a partnership with Junto Health, a New York-based consortium of leading health care organizations and entrepreneurs.

Speaking at Junto Health’s Fall Summit in September, Jill Balderson, vice president of health care innovation at PPFA, said, “Planned Parenthood was founded on an idea that was innovative for its time and we continue to live through that culture of innovation, exploring new business models and partnerships in an ever changing health care environment.”

Online health services are one of the most successful and fastest growing trends in health care, helping patients from veterans in need of complicated surgery to diagnosing and treating the flu. As online health care delivery evolves, Planned Parenthood is evolving with it. The organization is committed to leading the way in bringing quality reproductive and sexual health care to people wherever they are, regardless of limitations — and to finding innovative ways to serve patients quickly and effectively. This means a renewed look at what access, quality, and affordability means to this new generation of tech-savvy consumers.

“We know that there’s a vast unmet need for reproductive health care in the U.S., which contributes to higher rates of unintended pregnancies and STIs in the U.S. than in other similar countries.  Planned Parenthood is determined to fill that gap with innovative health care solutions,” said Balderson. “Online appointment scheduling and apps like Planned Parenthood Care and Planned Parenthood Direct are some of the ways we’re looking at technology solutions to expand access to quality reproductive care that is user-centric, scalable and sustainable.  It’s one important part of our work to ensure all people get the health care they need, no matter what.”

The Junto Health Fall Summit brought together over 50 C-suite leaders, entrepreneurs, and key decision makers, collectively representing 30 organizations from across the health care ecosystem.  "The Summit is a microcosm of what Junto Health is all about. We bring the right people from the right organizations together to learn from one another and find partnership opportunities in a closed door, non-sales setting,” said Doug Hayes, CEO Junto Health. “This is one reason why our membership is growing.”

Recognizing the rapid change occurring in healthcare technology, reimbursement, and service delivery models, the Summit delivered sessions on the latest trends and policy directives, facilitated curated meetings between invite-only members and start-ups, and shared tools to deliver continuous innovation across the sector.

“Health care is experiencing massive disruption in two distinct domains: technology & policy. As these two trends increase in speed and become harder to predict, it’s clear that healthcare leaders need a new, open approach to finding innovation. At Junto Health, we believe the winning approach is flexible, opportunistic, and collaborative. By placing themselves at the right cross currents of technology, policy, and clinical innovation, PPFA will be better equipped to thrive in this period of rapid change,” says Hayes.

PPFA and Junto will be kicking off their collaboration with a curated search through start-ups and early stage companies. You can read an in-depth interview with Jill Balderson about the partnership on Junto Health’s website HERE.

“We joined Junto Health to be part of an evolving conversation in health care that grows from a more innovative and connected system, and I can already feel ideas percolating from meeting the other members,” said Balderson.

For nearly a century, Planned Parenthood has been one of the nation’s leading providers of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men and young people, and the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With a presence in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Planned Parenthood served 2.7 million women, men, and young people in 2013, providing birth control, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), lifesaving cancer screenings, and other reproductive and sexual health services.

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With approximately 700 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.