Tony Boselli continues to forge new path in healthcare industry

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Most people know Tony Boselli as the former Jacksonville Jaguars star offensive tackle who blocked for quarterback Mark Brunell and running back Fred Taylor in the heyday of the franchise in the 1990s. What they might not know, however, is that the Ponte Vedra Beach resident is now making a name for himself in the healthcare industry.

Boselli previously founded a company called Healthy Schools that provided flu shots, immunizations and physicals to kids in schools in Florida and Texas. Over a year ago, the former NFL player sold Healthy Schools to a company called CareDox, where he is now a partner and president.

CareDox (https://caredox.com/) works to improve children’s health with technology that connects schools, families and healthcare providers. The company provides a digital healthcare platform that helps school nurses and parents better manage everything from routine sickness to chronic diseases (such as asthma and diabetes). 

By allowing school nurses, administrators and parents to post updates online, CareDox reduces time spent managing aspects of a student’s healthcare, including managing medications, updating immunization records, capturing details of visits to the school nurse and providing quicker access to a student’s emergency medical information. The CareDox technology and services are used by 7,100 schools serving 4.6 million students across multiple states around the country.

One of the company’s biggest programs is focused around the nation’s annual battle with influenza and providing flu shots to as many kids as possible. CareDox is expecting to administer 600,000 flu shots across eight states at no cost to students and their families, which is more flu shots than any other provider in the nation. CareDox is able to offer flu shots at no cost through reimbursement contracts with Medicaid and other insurance providers.

“The program has grown quite a bit,” Boselli said. “One of the things that I learned when I started this company (Healthy Schools) years ago is that the flu shot is something that everyone should get every year. … It’s the best way to protect oneself from the flu … we want to make sure every kid has the opportunity to get that.” 

In explaining the process, Boselli said CareDox has agreements with the school districts to provide the platform in the schools so parents can sign up digitally (or via paper if they can’t digitally). Parents provide their child's medical history and insurance information to make sure the child qualifies. If they don’t have insurance, Boselli said the company will administer the flu shot at no cost.

CareDox then manages the workflow and scheduling, sends nurses to the individual states to provide the vaccine, which is recorded on the company’s platform, and bills services for those individuals who have insurance. The company then shares the immunization information with state registries to ensure records are updated. 

“We think this is how people want to be communicated with,” Boselli said. “We want to make sure, with not only flu shots, but that every child has access to good healthcare and has an equal opportunity to get the healthcare they need.”

Locally, CareDox operates in Duval, Clay and other surrounding counties. The company does not have a contract with St. Johns County, however. 

Moving forward, Boselli said the goal for the company is to grow and make sure every kid gets the flu shot, but also to move into other areas of healthcare.

“There are programs that we’ll continue to look at and launch and try to provide a comprehensive, pediatric healthcare platform to partner with schools to make sure every kid has equal opportunity to the healthcare they need,” he said.