Univera Healthcare members with stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be eligible for a new program, REACH Kidney Care, that helps improve their care and quality of life, while delaying the need for costly interventions such as dialysis or transplant. REACH Kidney Care is an independent company that offers kidney disease management support at no cost to Univera Healthcare members who have the program included in their coverage.
People are diagnosed with CKD when their kidneys become damaged and are unable to perform their normal function of filtering blood. The National Institutes of Health estimates that 1 in 7 adults, about 37 million Americans, has a form of CKD. More than 800,000 Americans are currently living with end-stage kidney disease, often requiring dialysis, costing about $15,000 per patient per month.
“Chronic kidney disease affects so many people in our country that it is likely we all know someone who is impacted directly, or through a loved one,” says Kathleen Robischon, MD, Vice President of Medical Affairs and Clinical Services at Univera Healthcare. “At Univera Healthcare, we provide care management for members with chronic kidney disease stages 1 through 3, but when a member progresses to stage 4, we offer the added support of REACH Kidney Care.”
REACH Kidney Care* is a kidney health management program designed to help Univera Healthcare members with stage 4 or 5 CKD follow their physician’s treatment plan and navigate available services. Members work one-on-one, either in-person or virtually, with a multi-disciplinary team that provides personalized support to help them manage their disease and get the most benefit from their care.
ElenaMarie Burns faced the challenges of navigating CKD when her father suffered a stroke in his 50s that led to the discovery that his kidneys were not functioning properly.
Burns recalls times when her father would stop taking his medications or resist following his doctor’s dietary instructions. “We didn’t have someone to sit and talk to him and coordinate his care, like a care management team. I think he could have benefited from that,” she says, adding, “He eventually needed dialysis, and that really did a number on him.”
“There is a great deal of information to keep track of and responsibility that falls on CKD patients,” says Dr. Robischon. “The REACH program helps support them and makes sure they are getting their labs done, following up with medications, and more.”
Care management services like the REACH program were not available when ElenaMarie Burns was caring for her father. Knowing what is available now to patients and caregivers, she says, “I think that the education and support provided by Univera Healthcare, along with the care coordination by the REACH program, would have given dad a better quality of life.”
*REACH Kidney Care is an independent company that offers kidney disease management support to Univera Healthcare members.
Contact:
Peter Kates, (716) 983-8765, peter.kates@univerahealthcare.com
Univera Healthcare is a nonprofit health plan that serves members across the eight counties of Western New York. With more than 500 Buffalo-based employees and a local leadership team, the company is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce to foster innovation and better serve its members. It also encourages employees to engage in their communities by providing paid volunteer time off as one of many benefits. Univera is part of a Rochester-based health insurer that serves more than 1.5 million members across upstate New York. Its mission is to help people live healthier and more secure lives through access to high-quality, affordable health care, and its products and services include cost-saving prescription drug discounts, wellness tracking tools and access to telemedicine. To learn more, visit UniveraHealthcare.com.
