Humana and Fresenius Medical Care North America Announce Expanded Collaboration to Improve Care Coordination
October 06 2020 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
Expansion of Services to Benefit Humana
Medicare Advantage and Commercial Members
Leading health and well-being company Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM)
and leading renal care company Fresenius Medical Care North America
(FMCNA) today announced an agreement to broaden their collaboration
toward improving the health of eligible Humana Medicare Advantage
and commercial members with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end
stage renal disease (ESRD) through more coordinated, holistic
care.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201006005193/en/
The expanded partnership is in
keeping with the goals outlined in the 21st Century Cures Act,
which enables people with ESRD to enroll in Medicare Advantage
Plans, and with federal initiatives that call for earlier diagnosis
and treatment of kidney disease; a reduction in the number of
Americans developing ESRD; and support for patient treatment
options such as home dialysis or kidney transplant as
applicable.
The agreement between Humana and Fresenius Medical Care North
America goes into effect Jan. 1, 2021, and encompasses the
following:
- Expanded Availability of Care Coordination Services:
FMCNA currently provides specialized care coordination services for
Humana members with CKD in three states: Iowa, Kentucky, and North
Carolina. The agreement expands the availability of these services
to eligible Humana members in an additional 39 states, with the
goals of improving quality of life and health outcomes, increasing
access to care and minimizing care gaps, slowing disease
progression and lowering hospitalization rates, and reducing the
cost of care. FMCNA's care coordination services include early
detection of CKD to slow disease progression; medication reviews
and regimen adherence guidance; behavioral health screenings;
nutritional counseling; strategies for managing multiple
comorbidities; education about - and support for - home dialysis
treatment when applicable and beneficial to the patient; transplant
education; and palliative care. FMCNA partners with InterWell
Health, a physician-led population health management company
working to improve clinical outcomes and lower medical costs
through its network of over 1,100 nephrologists across the
country.
- Transitional Care Units: These units are designed to help people
recently diagnosed with kidney failure learn about treatment
options available to them - including transplant and home dialysis
- and be more empowered in managing their own care. Transitional
Care Units may be either a space within a dialysis center or a
standalone facility, offering comprehensive, hands-on education
from dedicated staff that is individualized for each patient. This
includes the importance of renal nutrition, medication adherence,
and vascular access care; assisting patients transitioning between
modalities (e.g., from in-center dialysis to home dialysis); and
supporting individuals returning to dialysis from transplant. The
agreement is intended to locate Transitional Care Units in select
areas where Humana has significant Medicare Advantage
membership.
- Value-Based Agreement: The expanded collaboration also improves upon
the parties’ existing clinic network contract, which provides
eligible Humana Medicare Advantage and commercial members with ESRD
access to dialysis at more than 2,600 centers of Fresenius Kidney
Care, the dialysis services division of Fresenius Medical Care
North America. By implementing a value-based payment model for
in-center and home dialysis services and at Transitional Care
Units, as well as for CKD care coordination services, compensation
will be based on meeting agreed-upon quality improvement and
patient outcome goals, and reducing overall costs to the
system. Value-based renal
care is aligned with the objectives of CMS’s recently-released End
Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices (ETC) Model,
which encourages increased
adoption of home dialysis and greater access to kidney
transplants.
“As Humana continues to prioritize innovative solutions in
response to today’s greatest health care challenges, we’re pleased
to collaborate with Fresenius Medical Care North America, an
organization of broad capability with which we can execute an
important initiative of this scale,” said William Shrank, M.D.,
M.S.H.S., Humana's Chief Medical Officer. “In the evolution of
renal disease care, we are confident that the best way to improve
health outcomes and the patient experience is personalized
coordination that meets the needs of each individual. That’s
especially vital in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.”
“This agreement represents an evolution of our work with Humana
and leverages our over 10 years of industry leadership in
value-based care,” said Bill Valle, Fresenius Medical Care North
America’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our scale, integrated
nephrology network, and standardized clinical interventions and
protocols uniquely position us to predictably and consistently
improve health outcomes and reduce overall costs. We welcome this
opportunity to offer more coordinated, holistic care to Humana’s
members, with a keen focus on education, comorbidity management,
early detection, and treatment options, including home dialysis.
This approach also helps eliminate barriers to keep renal disease
treatment uninterrupted for at-risk populations.”
Individuals with CKD have kidneys that do not filter blood
properly, which causes waste and fluid levels that can be
dangerously high. CKD and ESRD affect a wide spectrum of the
population but the degree of impact is not uniform. For example,
kidney failure rates among Black Americans are about three times
that of white Americans. In total, approximately 15% of American
adults, or about 37 million people, have CKD, but many are unaware
of their condition. CKD management is complex, and failure to
appropriately manage the condition may cause considerable symptoms
and worsening health outcomes, including ESRD.
About Humana
Humana Inc. is committed to helping our millions of medical and
specialty members achieve their best health. Our successful history
in care delivery and health plan administration is helping us
create a new kind of integrated care with the power to improve
health and well-being and lower costs. Our efforts are leading to a
better quality of life for people with Medicare, families,
individuals, military service personnel, and communities at
large.
To accomplish that, we support physicians and other health care
professionals as they work to deliver the right care in the right
place for their patients, our members. Our range of clinical
capabilities, resources and tools – such as in-home care,
behavioral health, pharmacy services, data analytics and wellness
solutions – combine to produce a simplified experience that makes
health care easier to navigate and more effective.
More information regarding Humana is available to investors via
the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at
www.humana.com, including copies of:
- Annual reports to stockholders
- Securities and Exchange Commission filings
- Most recent investor conference presentations
- Quarterly earnings news releases and conference calls
- Calendar of events
- Corporate Governance information
Additional Information
Other providers are available in our network. The provider may
also contract with other Plans.
About Fresenius Medical Care North
America
Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) is the premier
healthcare company focused on providing the highest quality care to
people with renal and other chronic conditions. Through its
industry-leading network of dialysis facilities and outpatient
cardiac and vascular labs, Fresenius Medical Care North America
provides coordinated healthcare services at pivotal care points for
hundreds of thousands of chronically ill customers throughout the
continent. As the world's largest fully integrated renal company,
it offers specialty pharmacy and laboratory services, and
manufactures and distributes the most comprehensive line of
dialysis equipment, disposable products, and renal pharmaceuticals.
For more information, visit the FMCNA website at
https://fmcna.com/.
Y0040_GHHKXUFEN_C
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201006005193/en/
Alissa Krinsky Humana Corporate Communications
akrinsky@humana.com
Amy Smith Humana Investor Relations amysmith@humana.com
Brad Puffer Fresenius Medical Care North America Corporate
Communications Brad.Puffer@fmc-na.com
Dr. Dominik Heger Fresenius Medical Care Investor Relations
Dominik.Heger@fmc-ag.com
Humana (NYSE:HUM)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Humana (NYSE:HUM)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024