Cigna is partnering with Waltham, Mass.-based Fresenius Medical Care North America to roll out a value-based care program for people with end-stage kidney disease across the country, the first of its kind for the payer.
The program is part of Cigna Collaborative Care, the payer's equivalent of an ACO. This model incentivizes providers to improve health outcomes, patient satisfaction and affordability. Under the ERSD initiative, Cigna will pay FMCNA for dialysis services and FMCNA affiliate Fresenius Health Partners will manage medical costs and improvement initiatives. Nurses and care coordinators will work with physicians to better address patients' needs and avoid complications before they occur.
If FMCNA is able to maintain or improve its CMS star rating and hits quality and cost benchmarks, it will have the opportunity to earn financial rewards from Cigna.
"By working together to coordinate and expand access to care, we can help people get the right care at the right time in the right setting. This enables us to achieve all the elements of what we call the 'quadruple aim' — better health, affordability, patient satisfaction and provider experience," Scott Josephs, MD, Cigna vice president and national medical officer, said in a statement.
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