New Partnership Helps Those With Chronic Kidney Disease
Univera Healthcare members with stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be eligible for a new program, REACH Kidney Care*, that helps improve care and quality of life while delaying the need for more costly interventions such as dialysis.
The National Institutes of Health estimates that 1 in 7 adults has a form of CKD. That’s about 37 million Americans. People are diagnosed with CKD when their kidneys are damaged and unable to perform their normal function of filtering blood. More than 800,000 Americans are currently living with end-stage kidney disease, often requiring dialysis. On average, the cost of dialysis is $15,000 per patient per month.**
“Chronic kidney disease affects so many people,” explains Kathleen Robischon, MD, vice president of medical affairs and clinical services at Univera Healthcare. “Univera Healthcare provides care management for members with chronic kidney disease in stages 1 through 3, but when a member moves into stage 4, we offer the support of REACH Kidney Care.”
How REACH Kidney Care helps
REACH Kidney Care is a kidney health management program designed to help members with stage 4 and 5 CKD to navigate services and follow their physician’s treatment plan. Members work one on one with a multi-disciplinary care team that provides personalized support to help them manage their CKD and get the most benefit from their care. The REACH program is offered virtually, over the phone, and in person at no cost to members who have this benefit included in their health insurance coverage.
Caring for a loved one with kidney disease
ElenaMarie Burns, a Provider Programs Project Coordinator at the health plan, faced the challenges of navigating CKD when her father suffered a stroke in his 50s that led to the discovery that his kidneys were not functioning properly.
She remembers times when her father would stop taking his medications or resist following the doctor’s dietary instructions. “We didn’t have someone to sit and talk to him, like a care management team to have that collaboration of care. I think he could have benefited from that,” says ElenaMarie. “Within a couple of years of diagnosis, dad began dialysis, and that really did a number on him.”
Support for managing CKD
Kidney care management services were not available when ElenaMarie was caring for her father. Knowing what is available to patients and caregivers now, she says, “I think that education provided by Univera Healthcare’s care management team and REACH Kidney Care would have given him a better quality of life.”
*REACH Kidney Care is an independent not-for-profit that offers kidney disease management support to Univera Healthcare members. ** REACH Kidney Care data