Excellus BlueCross BlueShield members with stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be eligible for a new program, REACH Kidney Care, which 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.
“When you think about chronic kidney disease, it affects so many people,” said physician Kathleen Robischon, vice president 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.”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 physician Philip T. Ondocin, affiliated with 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.”
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 Burns. Within a couple of years of diagnosis, her father began dialysis. “The dialysis really did a number on him,” explains Burn.