Fresenius Medical Care Uniquely Positioned to Transform Care for Kidney Failure Patients as Primary Participant in National Medicare Demonstration Program

Business Wire

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Awards 18 End Stage Renal Disease Seamless Care Organizations to Fresenius Medical Care, the Largest ESCO Operator in the United States

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fresenius Medical Care North America, the country’s leading provider of kidney care products and services, announced today that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded it contracts to operate 18 new End Stage Renal Disease Seamless Care Organizations (ESCOs) across the country. These new ESCOs, launched January 1, 2017 as Fresenius Seamless Care, are in addition to the six ESCOs that the company currently operates. Together, they represent the largest ESCO presence of any kidney care provider in the nation, demonstrating Fresenius Medical Care’s continued leadership in transforming the health care system. By moving beyond traditional methods of care, Fresenius Medical Care’s dedicated care professionals and its physician partners are working towards improving patient outcomes for renal patients while reducing the overall cost of care.

CMS awarded the ESCO contracts under its Comprehensive End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Care Demonstration Program, the nation’s first disease-specific shared savings program, which is designed to identify, test, and evaluate new ways to improve care solely for Americans with ESRD. Under each ESCO, local nephrologists and dialysis providers partner to develop an innovative care model based on highly coordinated, patient-centered care. Patients will benefit from these innovations in care delivery while retaining their full Medicare benefits and the freedom to choose their providers.

“We are excited for the opportunity to work with CMS on this important initiative and we are proud to have now been awarded 18 ESCOs in markets across the country,” said Bill Valle, Fresenius Medical Care North America’s Chief Executive Officer. “More than ever, chronically ill patients such as those suffering from kidney failure deserve coordinated and integrated care. By working closely with our physician partners, our network of providers and care coordinators have demonstrated the ability to improve our patients’ health outcomes and reduce costs for the system. This announcement is further validation of the commitment that our dedicated doctors, nurses, technicians, social workers, pharmacists and care coordinators put into action to improve the quality of life of every patient, every day.”

The foundation of each Fresenius Seamless Care ESCO is the collaboration of doctors, local care providers and Care Navigation Unit (CNU), a team of specialized dialysis nurses and service coordinators who provide 24/7 patient support and care management services. By focusing on the unique clinical and psycho-social needs of each patient, the CNU can anticipate issues before they arise and help patients, their families and their providers respond more quickly as they happen.

“The Fresenius Seamless Care ESCO expands the traditional role of the dialysis and nephrology providers to deliver comprehensive care both in and outside of the dialysis clinic,” explained William McKinney, President of Fresenius Medical Care North America’s Integrated Care Group. “It’s a model that we’ve proven can improve health outcomes for the ESRD patient. Through rigorous monitoring and appropriate intervention, the CNU has been able to help patients and their providers reduce hospital admissions by up to 20.3% and readmissions by up to 27.8% in ESRD populations.”

Fresenius Medical Care’s significant expansion of its ESCO presence throughout the country builds upon a track record of successfully improving patient care. Each year since 2006, the company has helped patients live longer and spend less time in the hospital, improving mortality rates of its dialysis patients and lowering the average time spent in a hospital setting by two-and-a-half days.

About Fresenius Medical Care North America
Fresenius Medical Care North America is the premier health care company focused on providing the highest quality care to people with renal and other chronic conditions. Through its industry-leading network of dialysis centers, outpatient cardiac and vascular labs, and urgent care centers, as well as the continent’s largest practice of hospitalist and post-acute providers, Fresenius Medical Care North America provides coordinated health care services at pivotal care points for hundreds of thousands of chronically ill customers. As the world’s largest fully vertically integrated renal company, it offers specialty pharmacy and laboratory services, and manufactures and distributes the most comprehensive line of dialysis equipment, disposable products, and renal pharmaceuticals. For more information, visit www.FMCNA.com.

About Fresenius Health Partners
Fresenius Health Partners is the insurance component of Fresenius Medical Care North America specializing in intensive care coordination and disease management services for individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease or End Stage Renal Disease. Rapidly emerging as the recognized leader in providing comprehensive healthcare coverage for renal patients, Fresenius Health Partners works with government payors, private health plans and accountable care organizations to improve the health and outcomes of renal patients while at the same time reducing the total cost of their care. For more information on Fresenius Health Partners’ programs, including the Fresenius Seamless Care ESCOs, visit www.freseniushealthpartners.com.

The statements contained in this document are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of CMS. The authors assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in this document.