New Excellus Partnership Helps Those with Chronic Kidney Disease

Syracuse, NY - Excellus BlueCross BlueShield members with stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be eligible for a new program, REACH Kidney Care*, that helps improve care and quality of life while delaying the need for more costly interventions such as dialysis.

The National Institutes of Health estimates that 1 in 7 adults has a form of CKD. That’s about 37 million Americans. People are diagnosed with CKD when their kidneys are damaged and unable to perform their normal function of filtering blood. About 808,000 Americans are currently living with end-stage kidney disease often requiring dialysis. On average, the cost of dialysis is $15,000 per patient per month**.

“Chronic kidney disease affects so many people,” explains Kathleen Robischon, MD, VP of medical affairs and clinical services at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. “At Excellus BCBS, we provide care management for members with chronic kidney disease stages 1 through 3,” adds Robischon. “When a member moves into stage 4, we offer the support of REACH Kidney Care.”

How REACH Kidney Care helps
REACH Kidney Care is a kidney health management program designed to help members with stage 4-5 chronic kidney disease navigate services and follow their physician’s treatment plan. Members work one on one with a multi-disciplinary care team that provides personalized support to help members make the most of their care and manage their CKD. The REACH program is offered virtually, over the phone and in person at no cost to members that have this benefit included in their plan.

“We are pleased that our eligible patients have the opportunity for additional support and resources,” explains Philip T. Ondocin, MD, of Nephrology Associates of Syracuse, PC. “We encourage all patients to maximize their insurance benefits to support their kidney function and slow down the progression of their disease.”

Caring for a loved one with kidney disease
ElenaMarie Burns, Excellus BCBS provider programs project coordinator, 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.

She remembers times when her father would stop taking his medication or resist following the doctor’s dietary instructions. “We didn’t have someone to sit and talk to him, like a care management team to have that collaboration of care. I think he could have benefited from that,” says ElenaMarie. Within a couple of years of diagnosis, her father began dialysis. “The dialysis really did a number on him,” explains ElenaMarie.

Support for managing CKD
These care management services were not available when ElenaMarie was caring for her father. Knowing what is available to patients and caregivers now, she says, “I think that education [provided by the Excellus BCBS care management team and REACH Kidney Care] would have given my father a better quality of life.”

*REACH Kidney Care is an independent not-for-profit that offers kidney disease management support to Excellus BlueCross BlueShield members.

** REACH Kidney Care data

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Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, is a nonprofit health plan with 1.5 million upstate New York members. The company's mission is to help people live healthier and more secure lives through access to high-quality, affordable health care. Its products and services include cost-saving prescription drug discounts, wellness tracking tools and access to telemedicine. With more than 4,500 employees, 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. To learn more, visit ExcellusBCBS.com.