FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hippo Technologies Launches Virtual Care Program with Touchstone ABA to Expand Access to Autism Therapy and Strengthen Rural Workforce Across Louisiana
Baton Rouge, La – May 20, 2026 – Hippo Technologies, Inc., developers of Hippo Virtual Care™, a next-generation telemedicine platform enabling real-time clinical collaboration, today announced the launch of a virtual care program with Touchstone Center for Applied Behavior Analysis aimed at expanding access to autism therapy services and strengthening the behavioral health workforce across rural communities.
The program introduces Hippo’s Coactive Care™ model to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), enabling experienced clinicians to deliver therapy, supervision, and training remotely in real time – whether in clinics or community-based settings – helping address critical access gaps while improving care quality and workforce capacity.
Touchstone ABA is deploying Hippo across two primary use cases:
- Expanding Access to Expert ABA Therapy Across 11 Locations
Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) can extend their expertise virtually into multiple clinic locations, enabling consistent, high-quality autism therapy services across Touchstone’s growing footprint. This model ensures that patients in rural and underserved areas receive access to advanced behavioral health care without delays or geographic barriers.
- Workforce Development Through Remote Supervision, Training, and Education
Experienced BCBAs can now provide real-time supervision, mentorship, and training to therapists and support staff in rural communities. This approach accelerates workforce development, enhances clinical quality, and helps build a sustainable pipeline of trained professionals in areas where access to experienced supervisors has traditionally been limited.
With Hippo, we can bring advanced autism therapies directly to rural patients while building and supervising our workforce at the same time,” said Grant Gautreaux, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA, CABAS, Senior Behavior Analyst and Assistant Research Scientist at Touchstone ABA. “The benefit to underserved communities has been immediate, and it gives us a strong foundation to be highly successful with complex cases.”
Hippo Virtual Care enables a new model of care delivery by combining wearable telemedicine technology with a Clinician Extender™ – a trained on-site provider who serves as the eyes and ears of remote specialists. This allows experienced BCBAs to observe sessions, guide interventions, and supervise care in real time as if they were physically present, significantly increasing reach without adding overhead.
“Behavioral health providers face many of the same challenges as rural health systems – limited access to experienced clinicians and difficulty scaling services across geographies,” said Dr. Patrick Quinlan, CEO and Co-founder of Hippo Technologies, Inc. “This partnership with Touchstone demonstrates how Coactive Care can expand access to high-quality ABA therapy while simultaneously building the workforce needed to sustain it.”
The program builds on Hippo’s experience across more than 50 deployments globally, where the platform has improved access to specialized care, accelerated diagnosis and treatment, and expanded clinical capacity in underserved communities.
END
About Hippo Technologies, Inc.
Hippo Technologies, Inc. is a global virtual care company servicing the healthcare and medical education industries. The next-generation Hippo Virtual Care™ platform combines the most advanced voice-activated, Assisted Reality headsets and clinical-grade software allowing clinicians to collaborate remotely in real time to deliver patient care or train healthcare professionals. In addition to supporting the delivery of specialist care in the field, Hippo can integrate seamlessly with hospital systems and connected devices for a multitude of use cases in the hospital ER, OR, ICU, inpatient units, outpatient clinics, long-term care facilities, and in the home. Hippo’s solution effectively overcomes the barriers of time, distance and training to deliver specialist care wherever the patient is located. For further information, visit: https://myhippo.life
About Touchstone ABA
Touchstone ABA is a leading provider of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services across South Louisiana, delivering individualized, research-driven behavioral health programs for children and families impacted by autism and other developmental challenges. Through clinic, home, school, and community-based services, Touchstone combines evidence-based ABA therapy with a strong commitment to workforce development, parent education, and clinical excellence. The organization serves communities from Lake Charles to New Orleans with a mission to expand access to high-quality behavioral health care and improve outcomes for underserved populations. For more information, visit: https://touchstoneaba.com
Media Contact:
Lee Phillips