Clover Health and Cricket Health partner to target chronic kidney disease
Clover Assistant synthesizes health data for clinical recommendations to physicians to drive earlier disease detection and intervention.
Photo: Science Photo Library/Getty Images
Medicare Advantage insurer Clover Health has launched a new clinical program targeting chronic kidney disease in an effort to minimize the time between diagnosis and treatment and improve outcomes for seniors.
Clinicians can use the software program Clover Assistant to access renal care coordination and services to support disease management among their patients. As part of the program, Clover has partnered with value-based kidney care provider Cricket Health to offer patients personalized kidney care.
The chronic kidney disease data model analyzes longitudinal patient data to understand an individual's stage of CKD and risk for disease progression, then sends the information directly to physicians to help them develop an appropriate care plan.
Physicians can recommend and enroll these patients into Cricket Health's personalized kidney care program at no additional cost to patients.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Chronic kidney disease is a common medical condition in older adults that increases risk of heart attacks, strokes, and often progresses to kidney failure (end-stage renal disease).
In the United States, treatment of chronic kidney disease is likely to exceed $48 billion per year, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Treatment for kidney failure consumes 6.7% of the total Medicare budget to care for less than 1% of the covered population, the report said.
The disease often goes undiagnosed for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, according to a 2020 report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health. Early detection creates the opportunity for physicians to initiate treatment, manage their patients' other existing conditions and slow progression for better results at a lower overall cost.
Robert Sepucha, CEO of Cricket Health said the program helps patients stay healthy, at home and out of the hospital.
Through the MyCricket patient support program, enrolled Clover patients have access to multidisciplinary care teams, including nurses, dietitians, social workers, and trained peer mentors to help them stay on an individualized care plan. The virtual program also includes stage-specific educational resources and access to a peer community for support along the way.
THE LARGER TREND
Clover Health is a risk-bearing organization focusing on health equity and seniors who have historically lacked access to affordable high-quality healthcare. The technology of Clover Assistant aggregates patient data from across the health ecosystem to support clinical decision-making.
In August, Blue Shield of California announced it was investing in Cricket Health kidney disease expansion for members.
ON THE RECORD
"We created the Clover Assistant to give primary care physicians superpowers, so what better way to do that than give them access to innovative healthcare service providers like Cricket Health," said Andrew Toy, president of Clover Health.
"Primary care physicians have a critical role to play in the early detection and management of chronic kidney disease," said Robert Sepucha, CEO of Cricket Health.
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com
