Monogram Health and Humana Sign Care Coordination Agreement For Chronic Kidney Disease Patients in Louisiana and Mississippi

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — December 19, 2019 — Monogram Health and leading health and wellness company Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) have signed an agreement for Monogram Health to provide coordinated care services for Humana Medicare Advantage and Commercial health plan members in Louisiana and Mississippi with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

The agreement aligns with the companies’ mutual goal to help improve the physical and emotional health and well-being of patients by working to delay the progression of CKD and ESRD; better the patient’s quality of life; and, when applicable, leverage the benefits of in-home therapies.

“Monogram is honored to collaborate with a leading health and well-being company such as Humana,” said Senator Bill Frist, M.D., Monogram Health’s board chairman. “Partnerships like this represent the future of healthcare and bring great potential to further improve the quality of care, system integration, as well as patient outcomes and well-being.”

Monogram’s benefit management staff consists of nurse case managers and social workers who regularly visit CKD and ESRD patients in their homes, whether in urban or rural communities. Monogram support staff work with the patient’s nephrologist and primary care physician to ensure that each patient develops a thorough understanding of his or her disease and receives a personalized care plan. Monogram also seeks to improve medication and treatment compliance and to ensure appropriate bio-metric monitoring, nutrition planning and adherence, and effective consideration of each patient’s social determinants of health through all facets of care delivery.

Humana Medicare Advantage and Commercial members with CKD and ESRD will have 24/7 access to Monogram’s support team; and access to Monogram Health’s at-home renal benefit management program, which offers services that include home visits by nurse-led benefit management teams.

“Through this collaboration, we will strengthen care coordination for Humana members with kidney disease. Our partnership will offer customized care options and will empower patients with education and engagement tools to better manage their condition,” said William Shrank, MD, MPHS, Humana’s Chief Medical and Corporate Affairs Officer. “This multidisciplinary approach will focus on detecting kidney disease earlier, slowing disease progression, and utilizing therapies that enable members to receive care in the convenience of their own home.”

The agreement between Monogram and Humana comes after the issuance of a federal executive order that seeks to transform kidney care in the United States by creating provider payment models that reward kidney care specialists for achieving high-quality patient outcomes and cost efficiency. According to the United States Renal Data System (“USRDS”) the Medicare program spends approximately $114 billion annually for beneficiaries with CKD or ESRD. However, according to the Center for Disease Control (“CDC”), it is estimated that 48% of those with severely reduced kidney function and not on dialysis are unaware they have kidney disease, because the disease progresses before symptoms are first experienced. An estimated one-third of those who experience kidney failure had never seen a nephrologist prior to the occurrence of the clinical event.

“Our sole focus on CKD and ESRD, combined with expertise in advanced payment models, allows us to partner with health plans and providers across the spectrum of healthcare delivery,” said Dr. Raymond Hakim, Monogram’s Chief Medical Officer. “We are pleased to help Humana’s members determine the optimal modality and setting for their care.”

Individuals with CKD and ESRD cannot properly filter blood, causing waste and fluid levels that can endanger their health. Effective management of the disease requires coordinated management of health services and patient engagement in their care.

About Monogram Health
Monogram Health is a leading kidney-disease focused benefit management and care delivery company. It provides an innovative renal care model and data-driven array of clinical managed services, including complex case and disease management, utilization management and medication therapy management to transform the delivery of care received by patients living with chronic kidney and end-stage renal disease. Partnering with health plans, physician practices, dialysis providers and clinically integrated health systems, Monogram Health provides patients with exceptional at-home individualized clinical managed services and Nephrology care delivery. Through the use of next generation artificial intelligence, evidence-based criteria and personalized care planning, Monogram Health’s model seeks to delay the progression of the disease, promote a seamless transition to dialysis, palliative care and/or pre-emptive kidney transplant and optimize health outcomes for patients with end-stage renal disease. Based in Nashville, Tenn. and privately held by Frist Cressey Ventures and Norwest Venture Partners, Monogram Health currently operates its renal disease benefit management programs and care delivery across 20 states in the U.S. and has built a national network of nephrologists that includes hundreds of leading kidney care specialists. To learn more about Monogram Health, please visit here.

Additional Information
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