The state of New Mexico is awarding economic assistance to a Las Cruces company at the forefront of telehealth technology for a major New Mexico expansion, Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes announced recently.
Electronic Caregiver Inc. is set to add 770 jobs at its Las Cruces headquarters, 506 S. Main St., with $1 million from the State of New Mexico’s LEDA job-creation fund and a pledge from the City of Las Cruces for an additional $235,000.
Electronic Caregiver offers remote patient monitoring, chronic care management, 24/7 virtual visits, health coaching, and care coordination to patients and providers throughout the United States. The brain of Electronic Caregiver’s system is a cloud-based platform (PaaS) that manages, analyzes, and distributes actionable data to clinicians for optimal patient care.
More than 15,000 patients use Electronic Caregiver’s products and services each month, 95 percent of whom are located outside of New Mexico. The company’s innovative approach to digital health has earned them three patents and recognition in keynote addresses from Amazon and Intel. The company is seeing robust demand for its unique telehealth services since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Investing in innovation has been a priority for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has identified leading-edge companies that generate higher paying jobs for state Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) assistance. In calendar year 2021, the average salary for a LEDA-assisted business in New Mexico reached $91,000, twice the statewide average salary.
“Electronic Caregiver is a homegrown New Mexico company that is improving the lives of patients nationwide from its corporate office in Las Cruces,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “My administration is focusing on fostering the expansion of job-rich industries, creating more opportunities and greater economic security for New Mexico families.”
Electronic Caregiver anticipates an economic impact of $843 million over the next decade. The new jobs in Las Cruces will have an average salary of over $53,000, with a range from $40,560 to $97,760. The company also qualified for financial assistance with job training through the state’s Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP).
“This is an innovative company that is transforming home healthcare,” Cabinet Secretary Keyes said. “State assistance means that Electronic Caregiver can remain in New Mexico, keeping skilled professionals living and pursuing careers in our state.”
Electronic Caregiver was founded in 2009 by CEO Anthony Dohrmann who sought out the Las Cruces location for its skilled workforce and connections to New Mexico State University, which provides the bulk of the company’s STEM and design talent.
"Electronic Caregiver designs, develops, and delivers innovative telehealth products and services for the aging and chronically ill and the dedicated clinicians and caregivers that provide support. The resources provided by the Economic Development Department via LEDA will help drive the continued expansion of our employee base and operating facilities. Headquartered in Las Cruces, ECG is proud to create high-paying jobs, expand career choices for residents, and strengthen the economic base of Southern New Mexico," Dohrmann said.
“Expanding telehealth opportunities in New Mexico can be a lifeline for patients and improve health equity,” David R. Scrase, M.D., acting cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Department of Health, said. “Transportation is one of the most common barriers to receiving health care in rural areas and expansions in telehealth can eliminate some barriers and increase access to care by providing critical health services to patients.”
Mark Francis, chief product officer at Electronic Caregiver, who worked on telehealth initiatives at Intel and Health Hero Network, said while the underlying technology for care monitoring has been in place for years, adoption lagged due to provider hesitancy coupled with restricted payment policies.
“Now that the reimbursement reform put in place during the pandemic has been made permanent, we are seeing a shift to a hybrid model of care, a mix of in-person and virtual care,” Francis said. “The value of remote care has been demonstrated. Models of care such as hospital-to-home programs are the future of healthcare – and that future is here.”
The City of Las Cruces is serving as the fiscal agent for the project. “Electronic Caregiver is changing the landscape of healthcare and doing it from right here in Las Cruces. We are very fortunate they have chosen our city to continue to grow and I am glad the City of Las Cruces can support them in this effort,” Economic Development Director Elizabeth Teeters said.
The Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance (MVEDA), through its Retention & Expansion Support Program, has been providing technical assistance to Electronic Caregiver through multiple rounds of the company’s expansion. This has included funding from the N.M. Economic Development Closing Fund, a grant administered by MVEDA and the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico.
“Economic growth is not just about attracting new companies, but also assuring there are tools in place to support the growth and success to those like ECG who have already made significant investments into the region,” Davin Lopez, president and CEO of MVEDA, said.