By OPEN MINDS Circle
On August 16, 2021, Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) and Cigna announced that they expanded their value-based kidney care partnership launched in 2017. The new agreement extends the program through at least 2023. FMCNA announced that the original partnership program reduced hospitalizations by 10% compared to baseline while reducing the total cost of care for Cigna members by 3% per year. The expanded collaboration includes additional incentives that align FMCNA reimbursement with quality performance and reduction of total cost of care for Cigna members.
Under the value-based agreement with Cigna, FMCNA is paid on a fee-for-service basis for the kidney dialysis services provided to Cigna members and is responsible for managing medical costs and improving consumer outcomes. FMCNA may be eligible for additional reimbursement if it achieves goals for medical cost reductions and improved consumer outcomes so long as the dialysis clinics maintain or improve their star ratings in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Dialysis Facility Compare quality rating.
According to Dr. Rajesh Davda, Cigna senior medical director, Cigna works collaboratively with FMCNA by providing data and analytics, collaborating, and enhancing FMCNA’s medical and behavioral case management for this partnership. This arrangement is a risk-based value model that uses incentives to engage health care professionals and helps drive improved health, affordability, consumer satisfaction, and health care professional experience. David Pollack, president of FMCNA’s Integrated Care Group said FMCNA’s partnership with InterWell Health in December 2019 contributed to FMCNA’s ability to meet Cigna’s goals for the collaboration. InterWell Health is a physician network of nephrologists who are focused on value-based care.
FMCNA operates 2,600 dialysis centers and provides home dialysis options for people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Its network also includes outpatient cardiac and vascular laboratories. It offers specialty pharmacy and laboratory services, and it manufactures and distributes a comprehensive line of dialysis equipment, disposable products, and renal pharmaceuticals.
InterWell Health is a national physician-centric joint venture partnership between FMCNA and 55 nephrology practices in 31 states. The organization has more than 1,500 nephrologists. This national provider network delivers population health management services to both public and private payers across the full continuum of chronic kidney disease, transplant, end stage renal disease, and conservative care. On April 22, 2021, InterWell Health raised more than $46 million in a Series B round of equity funding.
For more information, contact:
- Meaghan MacDonald, Media Relations, Cigna Corporation, 900 Cottage Grove Road, Bloomfield, Connecticut 06002; 860-840-1212; Email: Meaghan.MacDonald@cigna.com; Website: https://www.cigna.com/
- Brad Puffer, Corporate Communications, Fresenius Medical Care North America, 920 Winter Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451-1457; 781-699-3331; Email: brad.puffer@fmc-na.com; Website: https://fmcna.com/
- Farzeen Ventresca, Media Contact, InterWell Health, 920 Winter Street, Waltham Massachusetts 02451; 215-570-6016; Email: Fventresca@interwellhealth.com; Website: https://interwellhealth.com