Interwell Health, Oak Street Health collaborate to bring primary care to dialysis clinics
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Key Takeaways:
- OakWell Health will bring primary care services into dialysis clinics.
- OakWell care teams will also support coordination of kidney transplants when possible.
Value-based kidney care company Interwell Health has formed a joint venture with Oak Street Health to bring primary care services into the dialysis clinic, according to a press release.
The new company will be called OakWell Health and will begin offering care services in Chicago, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth dialysis centers in the third quarter of 2023.
“There is a significant opportunity to leverage the time spent by dialysis patients in-center to improve their overall quality of life,” David Buchanan, chief clinical officer at Oak Street Health, said in the release. “Receiving personalized, preventive primary care from expert care teams can positively impact patient health.”
Terry Ketchersid, MD, senior vice president of Interwell Health, told Healio Nephrology, “Unfortunately, many [end-stage kidney disease] ESKD patients often find it difficult to go to PCP appointments and as a result, the burden of that care either falls to their nephrologist or those unmet needs lead to care delivery in suboptimal venues of care like the emergency department of the local hospital.
“We believe a team approach will lead to better health outcomes,” Ketchersid said.
The OakWell care teams will target patients’ chronic conditions, help them avoid missed dialysis treatments, reschedule any missed dialysis treatments and coordinate care outside of the center. When patients have urgent needs and are not currently in a dialysis center, providers will conduct video visits and provide other support, according to the release. Additional services, such as behavioral health and renal pharmacy support, will be offered as well.
OakWell care teams will also support coordination of kidney transplants when possible.
“People living with kidney disease have incredibly complex needs,” Robert Sepucha, CEO of Interwell Health, said in the release. “We are uniquely positioned to support these patients and are making great strides through our physician partnerships and connectivity to dialysis centers.”
Ketchersid told Healio Nephrology that PCPs will be able to do rounds in the dialysis center just like nephrologists. “Generally, the PCP will arrange with the dialysis center when they will be on site to see their patients,” Ketchersid said. “We are continuing to build out the clinical care model.”
Ketchersid said the collaborative care model will allow PCPs to “focus on what they do best and will not disrupt the nephrologists' day-to-day workflows during PCP visits, or other responsibilities.
“Our goal is to substantially increase access to primary care by bringing the PCP to the patient,” Ketchersid told Healio Nephrology. “We anticipate this expanded collaboration will see frequent in-person visits by the PCP lead to improved longitudinal care for comorbid conditions, such as diabetes, asthma [and] behavioral health challenges, along with many other conditions, all in tight collaboration with the patient’s nephrologist.”
Ketchersid reports being an employee of Interwell Health.
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