Strive, Evolent Partner on Kidney Care in Michigan, N.C.
Strive Health and Evolent Care Partners have partnered to help primary care providers in Michigan and North Carolina manage care for Medicare beneficiaries with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage kidney disease (ESKD).
The partners will support 211 primary care providers who participate in Evolent Care Partners’ Accountable Care Organization (ACO), which has assumed accountability for improving the quality and cost of care for a defined population of Medicare beneficiaries. Evolent Care Partners’ ACO has more than 1,000 providers in its network, who care for over 90,000 lives in nine states.
The providers served through the new partnership manage care for up to 1,200 beneficiaries living with advanced CKD and ESKD. Kidney disease is the ninth-leading cause of death in the United States. Treating Medicare beneficiaries with chronic kidney disease cost $87.2 billion in 2019, according to the CDC. Primary care providers play a critical role in identifying signs of disease early and controlling its progression.
“We are equipping primary care providers with the resources they need to identify patients at high risk for kidney disease early in the process, so they can take preventative steps to improve outcomes and lower the cost of care,” said Farhad Modarai, D.O, a senior vice president at Strive Health, in a statement.
Strive will provide Evolent Care Partners’ provider network with access to data and technology tools, administrative support, management expertise and an interdisciplinary clinical care team that includes care coordinators, nurse practitioners, dietitians, pharmacists and licensed clinical social workers. These care management resources can help determine the risk of hospitalization or progression of disease, allowing for the possibility of tailored interventions.
“Providers are interested in intervening sooner to help patients with chronic kidney disease access the appropriate education and decision-making tools necessary to improve their daily lives,” said Michael Margolis, M.D., medical director of Evolent Care Partners, in a statement. “By partnering with Strive, we’re enhancing our ability to transform the experience for patients with advanced kidney disease.”
Through its partnerships with medical groups, nephrologists, health systems and payors, Strive manages over 44,000 complex CKD and ESKD patients.
