Trella Health Is Just Getting Started

By Robert Green Atlanta Trend

• Feb 27, 2022

Scott Tapp initially thought that he would make a career in bioscience, but later gravitated toward business. "I always maintained a passion for the science of healthcare," he says, so it makes perfect sense that he is now successfully working as the CEO of Trella Health.

Starting seven years ago as a data analytics company, Trella takes data from Medicare claims - CMS Parts A, B, C, and D to see what is happening to patients flowing in and out of networks and medical facilities. "We have access to more than 10 billion medical claims - physicians, hospitals, drugs - and we analyze this data to create and provide insights for our customers," he says.

Post-acute care organizations, home medical equipment companies, infusion agencies, physician groups, and hospitals, are Trella's major customers. The customer base has grown from 175 customers to 700 since Scott joined the company. “We continue to grow rapidly, and the future looks bright," he says.

A sixth generation Atlantan, Scott went into the Navy following high school and then attended the University of Georgia. Once he graduated, he began work in investment banking and venture capital. After seven years of working in capital finance, he decided to get some operational experience. "I started at PGi in strategy and business development, helped with mergers and acquisitions, then spent the last four years as EVP and General Manager of our SaaS business. I had global responsibility for growth of the emerging unified communications & collaboration (UC&C) portfolio," he says.

Scott became President and CEO of Trella in 2021. "We help our customers understand the markets they serve and where their patients are going," he says, "even allowing them to see how they compete and perform among competitors in their market.  It's total transparency."

But the main point isn't about money, it's about patient care. "We allow customers to see how they compare related to the total cost of care and outcomes. Where to use more resources and where to use less. For home healthcare organizations, hospice, or skilled nursing, this information is critical," he says.

The insights Trella provide to healthcare organization are proprietary and unique. "Our insights are turned into important business decisions that allow for smarter growth and healthier outcomes," he says.

Covid and the great resignation has really hit the healthcare industry hard, according to Scott, but Trella has still experienced dramatic growth despite the challenges.

The company has recently begun working with ACOs (Accountable Care Organizations) that came into existence in 2010 under the Affordable Care Act. An ACO is a group of providers who voluntarily come together to manage the care delivered to a given population​. ACOs are comprised of two or more providers (physician groups, hospitals, and others) and a payer such as Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurers. In January, Trella acquired PlayMaker Health, creating the post-acute care industry’s most comprehensive market intelligence, engagement, and growth platform.

Prospects for the company are bright, according to Scott. "The close to $4 trillion healthcare market isn't going to shrink but does need to improve. We can help with that," he says, "and we're excited to be a hyper-growth technology company in this industry."

The company will continue to help its customers achieve better outcomes at lower cost by the effective use of data. It recently added to its already unique access to data by achieving Qualified Entity Status. Trella now has 90% of all healthcare data available on the 65 plus population.

Significant funding was supplied in October of last year and the company's acquisition of PlayMaker was completed in December. 

"We are investing in growth and will likely do more acquisitions," Scott says. "We are very confident about the future. And we're just getting started."