DENVER, Jan. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita
Integrated Kidney Care (DaVita IKC)—along with nearly 1,000
kidney doctors, transplant providers, hospice providers and
advanced care practitioners—today announced the launch of 11
value-based care programs across the U.S., which are expected to
reach an estimated 25,000 kidney patients. The goals of the
programs are to help slow the progression of chronic kidney disease
(CKD) and help more patients with kidney failure access kidney
transplants and dialysis in their homes.
These programs are part of the government's new voluntary Kidney
Care Choices (KCC) model—a value-based care demonstration that
began on Jan. 1, 2022 and will run
for five performance years. DaVita IKC and its partners are
participating in the Comprehensive Kidney Care Contracting (CKCC)
option within KCC.
"We're honored to be part of this program and be the partner of
choice for so many purpose-driven providers who, like us, are
committed to setting a new standard for kidney care," said Dr.
David Roer, chief medical officer
for DaVita IKC. "We've honed our approach to integrated kidney care
for over a decade and, together, we believe we can improve the
lives of our shared patients."
Similar to the government's past value-based care
demonstrations, CKCC allows dialysis centers, nephrologists and
other health care providers to form kidney-focused accountable care
organizations to manage care for Medicare patients. What makes the
CKCC demonstration unique is that it boosts financial incentives to
manage care for Medicare patients with CKD stages 4 and 5, to delay
the onset of dialysis and to incentivize kidney
transplantation.
CKD affects approximately 1 in 7 (37 million) U.S. adults.
Unfortunately, most people with CKD don't know their kidney
function is declining.[1] Currently, an estimated 50% of people
diagnosed with kidney failure "crash" into dialysis—starting
treatment without warning in an emergency situation.[2] Crashing
not only causes physical and emotional stress for patients but also
it costs, on average, an additional $53,000 per patient in the first year of dialysis
treatment.[3]
"There's an opportunity to make a positive difference in the
lives of more patients by reaching them with the right
interventions and education before their kidneys fail," said
Misha Palecek, chief transformation
officer for DaVita. "We can help patients better plan for their
future kidney care needs—whether that's a pre-emptive transplant or
an optimal start on dialysis at home—and improve their overall
health while helping reduce the cost to our health care
system."
Other, similar value-based care programs have worked
particularly well in high-need, high-cost patient populations, such
as those with CKD and end stage kidney disease (ESKD).[4] Such
programs empower patients, physicians and care teams to help delay
CKD progression by better managing risk factors like diabetes and
hypertension—the two leading causes of ESKD.
"Patients with CKD and ESKD are some of the most medically
complex in health care, and they need advanced models of care to
meet their diverse health needs," said Chris Aycrigg, MBA, MHCA, executive director of
Nephrology Associates of Central
Florida (NACF). "NACF and DaVita have a long history of
achieving clinical excellence together, and we believe this
foundation will drive success as we evolve in the integrated kidney
care space. We are excited to build on DaVita's demonstrated
history of results in value-based care to help enhance the outcomes
and experience of our patients and our physicians."
For patients in the CKCC program, DaVita IKC and its partners
are focused on better coordinating their kidney and non-kidney care
needs, as well as improving interventions to help keep them healthy
and out of the hospital. In fact, reducing hospitalizations not
only gives these patients more moments at home doing what they love
but also it can lower the total cost of care—a hallmark of any
successful value-based care program.
Because these programs will reach a diverse population of
Medicare patients in multiple urban geographies, DaVita IKC also
sees an opportunity to continue helping generate greater health
equity within transplantation and kidney care more broadly.
With the launch of its CKCC programs, DaVita IKC expects to more
than double the number of patients receiving integrated kidney care
in the first performance year alone. In addition to its
numerous value-based care programs with health plans across the
U.S., this helps advance DaVita IKC's goal of delivering the
benefits of integrated kidney care to all patients.
DaVita's participation in value-based care programs underscores
its overall commitment to unify and actively improve the experience
and care at every stage and setting along a patient's kidney care
journey. Currently, DaVita manages patients from CKD to ESKD
through transplantation, and does so regardless of whether a
patient dialyzes at home, in the hospital or in one of its
outpatient centers.
To learn more about DaVita IKC's CKCC programs and locations,
visit CKCC.DaVita.com. For more information about DaVita IKC's
other programs and results, visit DaVitaIKC.com.
About DaVita Integrated Kidney Care
DaVita Integrated
Kidney Care (DaVita IKC) is the integrated care division of
DaVita Kidney Care with programs
operating under the DaVita® and VillageHealth® brands for Total
Renal Care, Inc. and VillageHealth DM, LLC. DaVita IKC is the
country's largest kidney care provider accredited by the National
Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). It provides comprehensive
care and complex chronic condition management to patients
nationwide, whether they are in the early stages of kidney disease,
transitioning to end-stage kidney disease, seeking a kidney
transplant or receiving life-sustaining dialysis. Over 100,000
lives have been impacted by over 20 years of delivering integrated
kidney care. Visit DaVita.com/IKC for more information.
About DaVita Inc.
DaVita (NYSE: DVA) is a health
care provider focused on transforming care delivery to improve
quality of life for patients globally. The company is one of the
largest providers of kidney care services in the U.S. and has been
a leader in clinical quality and innovation for more than 20 years.
DaVita cares for patients at every stage and setting along their
kidney health journey—from slowing the progression of kidney
disease to helping to support transplantation, from acute hospital
care to dialysis at home. As of September 30, 2021, DaVita
served 203,000 patients at 2,822 outpatient dialysis centers
in the United States. The company also operated 333
outpatient dialysis centers in ten countries worldwide. DaVita has
reduced hospitalizations, improved mortality, and worked
collaboratively to propel the kidney care industry to adopt an
equitable and high-quality standard of care for all patients,
everywhere. To learn more, visit DaVita.com/About.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain
statements in this press release are forward-looking statements
that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking
statements are based on management's current expectations. Various
important factors could cause actual results to differ materially
from these forward-looking statements, including the risks
identified in our U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
DaVita disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking
statement contained in this press release, except as may be
otherwise required by law.
Contact Information
Media:
Ashley Henson
(303) 876-6626
Ashley.Henson@DaVita.com
1 According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) Chronic Kidney Disease Fact Sheet, 2019.
2 Risk Factors for Unplanned Dialysis Initiation: A
Systematic Review of the Literature (2019)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2054358119831684#_i42
3 2009–2012 Medicare 5% sample data weighted
average across all states for patient costs in first twelve months
of dialysis.
4 Roer, D., Fukui, M., Smith, N., Nissenson, A.,
& Becker, B. (2019). The American Journal of Accountable Care.
Current Value-Based Care Models Need Greater Emphasis on Specialty
Care, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.37765/ajac
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SOURCE DaVita IKC