Bluebird Kids Health provides pediatric primary care, focusing on underserved communities and Medicaid beneficiaries, by combining in-person clinics with technology, behavioral health integration, and value-based care models. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Bluebird Kids Health founder and CEO Chris Johnson to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
Chris Johnson’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Johnson said:
“I’ve spent my career working in healthcare, with a focus on building better care models. Before starting Bluebird Kids Health, I served as CEO of Landmark Health, which provided in-home primary care to seniors through value-based arrangements with payors. Landmark was acquired by Optum in 2021.”
“My journey in healthcare began when I worked with Clayton Christensen at Innosight, exploring how innovation could improve healthcare delivery. I’ve also had roles at several healthcare organizations including Predilytics, which I co-founded.”
“On a personal note, I’m a father of three children, which has given me firsthand experience with the challenges parents face when navigating healthcare for their kids. Those middle-of-the-night moments when a child is sick have shaped my understanding of what families need from their healthcare providers. This personal perspective has been invaluable in creating Bluebird Kids Health.”
Formation Of The Company
How did the idea for the company come together? Johnson shared:
“The idea for Bluebird Kids Health emerged from recognizing a critical gap in pediatric care. Around half of all children in America are covered by Medicaid, yet many struggle to find pediatricians who accept their insurance. This creates what we call “pediatric care deserts”, areas where families either can’t find care or are forced to use emergency rooms for routine needs.”
“At Landmark Health, I saw how vulnerable senior populations often get caught in cycles of reactive, high-acuity care rather than receiving proactive support. I began seeing similar patterns in pediatric care; children on Medicaid often have emergency department utilization rates that resemble Medicare patients, which is entirely preventable with high-quality pediatric primary care.”
“We explored whether anyone was addressing this issue and spoke with dozens of practices nationwide. That’s when we met Dr. Shannon Fox-Levine and her team at Palm Beach Pediatrics. Over 40 years, they had built a practice that already embodied many of our core principles: integrating physical and mental healthcare, providing care coordination, and achieving better outcomes for children on Medicaid.”
“That partnership became the foundation of Bluebird Kids Health, combining their exceptional clinical model with our vision to scale it to more communities through technology and value-based care arrangements.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Johnson reflected:
“One of my favorite memories was involving my own children in our company naming process. They were part of a focus group to help us think through the Bluebird name, which was a fun way to engage them in building something I’m passionate about.”
“But professionally, what stands out most was when we started seeing the early results from our care model. Already, about 90% of children on Medicaid in our practice get their recommended annual wellness visits, compared to only about half of children outside our practice. Seeing that we’re not just theorizing about better care but actually delivering it to 20,000 children who might otherwise struggle to access care is incredibly rewarding.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Johnson explained:
“Bluebird Kids Health is a value-based pediatric primary care practice designed to transform how children receive healthcare. Our core offering is a comprehensive care model that integrates physical, behavioral, and social healthcare.
Key features include:
- Seamless integration of physical and mental care
- Care centers that are strategically located in access-starved neighborhoods
- Same day and next day appointments, with online booking
- 24/7 access to care with both in-person and virtual options
- Value-based care arrangements with commercial and Medicaid payers
- An AI enabled, population health platform that proactively manages and coordinates care
- Simple, clear action plans and educational resources that empower families with knowledge and tools to care for their children at home
- And above all, exceptional care teams that build trust with our patients and families
Our clinics have a welcoming, community feel while incorporating modern medical systems and standards.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges have Johnson and the team face in building the company? Johnson acknowledged
“One significant challenge in pediatric care is overcoming the limitations of the traditional fee-for-service model, which doesn’t adequately reward prevention or comprehensive care. Many pediatricians are forced to maximize visit volume rather than focusing on what’s best for their patients.”
“We’ve addressed this by building value-based care arrangements with payers, aligning financial incentives with health outcomes rather than service volume. This allows our providers to practice at the top of their license and make decisions based on what children truly need.”
“Another challenge is recruiting exceptional providers to serve in historically underserved areas. We’ve overcome this by creating an environment where pediatricians can practice medicine the way it should be – focused on caring for patients, supported by technology that reduces administrative burden and care teams that handle coordination. We find that clinicians are drawn to our mission and the opportunity to make a real difference in communities that need them most.”
“Finally, integrating behavioral health into primary care presents operational complexities, but we’ve designed our care model and clinical workflows to make this more unified, benefiting both our patients and giving our providers the support they need to deliver holistic care for children.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Johnson noted:
“Since our founding in 2024, we’ve been developing a proprietary technology platform that enhances our care model. Our approach is that we’re a clinical organization that leverages technology in unique ways, not a technology company trying to deliver healthcare.”
“We’re building an omni-channel consumer experience that will allow families to engage with our practice through multiple pathways—whether in person, via phone, through mobile interfaces, or video visits—while maintaining continuity of care. This consumer-centered approach aims to simplify how families schedule appointments, communicate with providers, and access care when needed.”
“We’re also developing ai-enabled population health analytics that help identify at-risk children earlier, allowing for proactive intervention, as well as expanding our digital tools to make it easier for families to connect with us, from scheduling to messaging to accessing care after hours. We’re similarly incorporating AI to reduce documentation time and building streamlined clinical workflows for both chronic and acute conditions—tools that reduce administrative burden for our clinical teams, allowing them to focus more on patients.”
“As we grow, we’re continuing to refine our technology to support our value-based care model, focusing on enabling better health outcomes rather than simply maximizing visit volume.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Johnson cited:
“Since founding Bluebird Kids Health in 2024, we’ve hit several significant milestones:
First, partnering with Palm Beach Pediatrics was foundational. It gave us a strong clinical base with over 40 years of experience and a proven care model that aligned perfectly with our vision.
We’ve rapidly grown to serve over 20,000 active patients across our locations, demonstrating that our model works at scale.
Our clinical outcomes represent another important milestone. We’re already seeing significantly higher rates of preventive care utilization and lower rates of emergency department visits and hospitalizations compared to regional benchmarks.
We’ve also built an exceptional leadership team with deep expertise across healthcare operations, clinical practice, technology, and value-based care.
Most recently, we opened two new locations this summer in Jacksonville and Broward County, which marks an important step in our expansion beyond our initial market. We have a second location opening in Jacksonville in October, and many more locations in the planning phase.”
Customer Success Stories
When asking Johnson about customer success stories, he highlighted:
“While respecting patient privacy, I can share the types of success stories we see regularly in our practice. One common scenario involves children with asthma, which is actually something I experienced with my own child.”
“Before joining practices like ours, families often struggle with conditions like asthma management. They may make multiple emergency room visits when symptoms become severe, creating anxiety for the whole family and disrupting the child’s routine.”
“Our approach is different. We develop comprehensive action plans written in clear, accessible language. We take time to educate families about proper medication use and when to use different treatments. We ensure families can reach us quickly if their child’s condition worsens, rather than defaulting to emergency care.”
“We also address environmental factors that might trigger symptoms and set up regular check-ins to monitor progress. The result is typically fewer emergency room visits, better condition management, fewer missed school days, and parents who feel empowered rather than anxious.”
“This is an example of how our integrated care model that addresses physical, behavioral, and social factors leads to better outcomes while reducing costs. These are the successes that drive us: seeing children thrive when they have access to the right care at the right time.”
Revenue/Funding
When asking Johnson about the company’s funding details, he revealed:
“We recently closed a $31.5 million funding round co-led by F-Prime and .406 Ventures, with participation from AIF and founding partner Juxtapose. This represents our total funding to date and provides the resources we need to accelerate our growth and impact.”
“While I can’t share specific revenue figures, I can tell you that our business model is built around value-based care arrangements with both Medicaid and commercial payers. Unlike traditional fee-for-service models that incentivize high volumes of visits, our approach rewards better health outcomes and appropriate utilization.”
“What’s important to note is that our care model already shows strong results in Palm Beach County. Our patients experience 45% fewer emergency room visits and 68% fewer hospital stays compared to regional benchmarks, which translates to better experiences, better outcomes, and lower total costs of care. When we succeed in this mission, we share in the savings created for the healthcare system.”
“This approach aligns everyone’s incentives: families get better care, providers can practice medicine the way they were trained, payers see lower costs, and we build a sustainable business focused on health, not just healthcare.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Johnson assessed:
“The total addressable market for Bluebird Kids Health is substantial. There are approximately 73 million children in the United States, many of whom struggle with access to quality pediatric care. These children represent our core focus, but our model serves all children regardless of insurance type.”
“Pediatrics is a highly fragmented market with many independent practices, and there are significant “pediatric care deserts” across the country where families have limited or no access to pediatricians who accept their insurance.”
“From a revenue perspective, pediatric care represents hundreds of billions in healthcare spending annually, with a significant portion flowing through suboptimal, high-cost care settings like emergency departments because children lack access to quality primary care.”
“Our approach, building practices in access-starved neighborhoods and implementing value-based care models, positions us to address this large market opportunity while simultaneously improving outcomes and reducing overall healthcare costs.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Johnson affirmed:
“Our primary competition isn’t actually other pediatric providers, but rather, it’s the status quo of children simply not receiving care at all. In many communities we serve, the real alternative to Bluebird Kids Health isn’t another practice; it’s families having nowhere to go except emergency departments for routine issues, or foregoing care entirely.”
“What we’re addressing is what economists might call “non-consumption”, serving children who should be receiving regular preventive care but aren’t connected to the system. When these children do interact with healthcare, it’s typically through emergency departments which aren’t designed for ongoing pediatric care, lack follow-up mechanisms, and are extraordinarily expensive.”
“What truly differentiates us is our commitment to delivering truly exceptional care—the gold standard in pediatrics—regardless of whether a child has Medicaid or commercial insurance. We’re demonstrating that it’s possible to provide premium, high-quality pediatric care to everyone while establishing access where it’s needed most.”
“Our value-based care model enables this approach. Unlike the traditional fee-for-service system that incentivizes high volumes of visits, our model rewards better health outcomes and appropriate utilization, allowing us to invest in services that traditional practices often can’t afford, like care coordination, behavioral health integration, and addressing social determinants of health.”
“Our technology platform enhances this approach by reducing administrative burden for providers and helping identify at-risk children early for proactive intervention. Our success isn’t measured by competing with existing pediatric practices, but by proving that the highest quality pediatric care can be delivered to all children while remaining sustainable.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the future company goals? Johnson emphasized:
“Our mission is to provide exceptional care so every child can thrive, with a goal of becoming the nation’s highest quality, most trusted pediatric practice. Over the next several years, we plan to establish a meaningful presence in approximately 20 metro areas, with multiple locations in each to ensure all children have access to high-quality pediatric care.”
“Beyond geographic expansion, we’re focused on continuing to refine our care model, enhance our technology platform, and deepen our value-based care arrangements. We’re building regional hubs that will offer extended urgent care and specialized programs, with expanded 24/7/365 remote clinical care and support services.”
“We also aim to demonstrate that our model can consistently deliver superior clinical outcomes while reducing total cost of care across diverse communities and payer arrangements. This evidence will help drive broader adoption of value-based care in pediatrics.”
“What excites me most is the potential ripple effect of our work. When children receive consistent, high-quality care, they miss fewer school days, develop fewer chronic conditions, and have better foundations for lifelong health. The improvements in health can lead to better educational outcomes, economic opportunities, and community wellbeing over a generation. That’s the true north star guiding our growth.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Johnson concluded:
“I’d like to emphasize that at the heart of Bluebird Kids Health is a deep commitment to addressing healthcare inequities that affect children. There’s a profound disparity in how children from different socioeconomic backgrounds access healthcare in America, and this has long-term consequences not just for their health, but for their education, their economic prospects, and their communities.”
“What drives me personally is knowing that when we build a better pediatric care model, we’re not just treating illness; we’re creating foundations for healthier communities. When a child with asthma can breathe easier, they miss fewer school days. When a child’s developmental or behavioral health needs are addressed early, they have better educational outcomes. These improvements ripple outward.”
“I also want to acknowledge the incredible pediatricians and care teams who make our work possible. They choose to practice in communities where they’re deeply needed, often facing more complex cases with fewer resources. Our model aims to support them with the tools, technology, and team-based approach they need to provide exceptional care without burning out.”
“Ultimately, Bluebird Kids Health exists because we believe every child deserves access to exceptional healthcare, regardless of their family’s income or zip code. That’s the vision that gets me up every morning, and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to share it.”
