LOS ANGELES — Simple HealthKit is launching a new kidney care program that aims to support health plans in driving better outcomes.
The company, which provides a diagnostics platform that also connects patients with needed follow-up care for chronic conditions, reproductive health and respiratory health, said its new Kidney Health Evaluation for Patients with Diabetes initiative leans on a new kidney health test to help insurers improve outcomes, which can lead to better performance in metrics like HEDIS and the Medicare Advantage star ratings.
The test examines kidney damage and function and can be administered in the home or in a medical factility, Simple HealthKit said in an announcement provided first to Fierce Healthcare.
“CKD is a top cause of healthcare expenditures in the US — it can lead to kidney failure, dialysis and ultimately kidney transplants," said Sheena Menezes, Ph.D., CEO of SimpleHealthKit, in a press release. "Simple HealthKit’s new KED program provides early detection to help patients achieve better outcomes and drastically reduce the cost of care.”
For kidney disease specifically, diabetes is a major driver, with a third of diabetic patients having chronic kidney disease. However, 90% of people who have CKD are not aware of it, according to the announcement. Programs like this can significant reduce Medicare spending on CKD, which improves performance metrics, the company said.
Simple HealthKit has already partnered with commercial and government health plans on its existing offerings, and it works with them to design custom testing programs that can be deployed to connect with hard-to-reach members.
Offering tests both in-clinic and in the home allows for greater flexibility in designing these programs, according to the company, and it has a multi-language platform that makes it easier to reach a variety of members.
In addition, it has access to real-time data it can use to monitor trends as well as HEDIS performance. Simple HealthKit's platform readily connects to a payer's existing systems, the company said.