KidneyCare:365 from Fresenius Medical Care North America Earns NCQA Accreditation

WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), a leading provider of kidney care products and services, announced today that its KidneyCare:365 CKD Health Program has been awarded Population Health Program (PHP) accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). KidneyCare:365 is a premier value based care program providing care coordination to people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), working in close partnership with their physicians and physician networks including InterWell Health.

As part of its value based care programs, FMCNA leverages data to power proprietary predictive models that aim to slow kidney disease progression and reduce hospital admissions. More than 50 percent of private payor program participants over the last 5 years have selected home dialysis or kidney transplant when transitioning from CKD to kidney failure. Additionally, planned starts to outpatient dialysis under these value based care programs are two times the national average.

"The accreditation of our extensive and well-regarded program validates the work we are doing in partnership with insurance providers to slow the progression of kidney disease and improve outcomes for patients," said David Pollack, President of FMCNA's Integrated Care Group. "Our KidneyCare:365 Program delivers the most advanced care coordination available for the largest number of patients living with kidney disease."

The KidneyCare:365 CKD Health Program supports people living with late-stage CKD through personalized education, hands-on support, and expanded care coordination activities to help better manage their often complex and chronic conditions including diabetes, hypertension, and behavioral health. In addition to earlier intervention and prevention, KidneyCare:365 provides extensive education about kidney disease and related comorbidities, the importance of seeing a nephrologist, eating well and healthy living with support from dietitians and social workers, and treatment options for kidney failure including transplant and home dialysis.

NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization which evaluates and accredits a wide range of healthcare organizations and recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. The high standards for accreditation developed by numerous stakeholders helps promote this superior performance and ongoing quality improvement expected of accredited companies and programs.

"Population Health Management accreditation helps us better measure quality, program outcomes, and the efforts at more personalized care that is necessary for these initiatives to be successful," said Margaret E. O'Kane, President, NCQA. "To earn accreditation, a program must have the highest level of commitment to improving quality of care and making an impact on the lives of each patient."

"We are proud to earn accreditation from NCQA for our innovative value based care solution and care management program," said Dr. Terry Ketchersid, Chief Medical Officer for FMCNA's Integrated Care Group and co-CMO for InterWell Health. "Our ongoing engagements with many private health insurers and the government have demonstrated our strong commitment to improving lives within this vulnerable patient population."

The KidneyCare:365 CKD Health Program from FMCNA received NCQA PHP accreditation following a lengthy and detailed process. This involved an in-depth review of the program from both the operational and clinical point of view including data management, case management by CareTeam:365 nursing staff, educational materials, predictive models aided by artificial intelligence, ongoing collaboration with physicians, and a wide range of quality improvement initiatives.

For more information about how FMCNA manages kidney disease through its value based care arrangement with payors, please visit https://fmcna.com/patient-care/value-based-care/programs-for-payors/. 

To learn more about kidney disease or sign up for a free educational class, please visit Fresenius Kidney Care's website at https://www.freseniuskidneycare.com/kidney-disease.

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/.

About NCQA
NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of healthcare organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in healthcare. NCQA's website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers, and others make more informed healthcare choices. NCQA can be found online at ncqa.org, on Twitter @ncqa, on Facebook at facebook.com/ncqa.org and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncqa.

Media Contacts:
Fresenius Medical Care North America
Brad Puffer
Corporate Communications
[email protected]
(781) 699-3331

SOURCE Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.