FAQs
Why did Fresenius Health Partners, Interwell Health, Cricket Health, and Acumen Physician Solutions combine to form one organization?
Patients deserve phenomenal care, superior care management, the opportunity to slow kidney disease progression, and a team of integrated providers who talk to each other. Payers and healthcare systems need a new way to approach care that puts patients and physicians first and slows the exponential costs of treating patients in the fee-for-service model. The new Interwell Health is differentiated by its ability to support, at scale, improved clinical outcomes, improved quality of life, and efforts to reduce costs for the benefit of patients, physicians, payers, and employees.
Who was Fresenius Health Partners?
Fresenius Health Partners, now a part of Interwell Health, was the value-based care division of Fresenius Medical Care. The organization’s value-based care programs allow for partnerships with payers and the U.S. government to reduce the overall cost of care while helping people living with kidney disease reach their health goals. The value-based care programs, including the NCQA-accredited Kidney Care: 365, support the entire spectrum of kidney care, from chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), including kidney transplantation, supportive care, and all modalities of dialysis. With strong industry expertise, Fresenius Health Partners uses artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, technological capabilities, and platforms to support early interventions. Patients also have access to a comprehensive interdisciplinary team that includes a nurse, coordinator, dietitian, and social worker.
Who was the legacy InterWell Health?
The legacy InterWell Health, now a part of the new Interwell Health, was a national, physician-centric joint venture between 1,100 physician investors and Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) with a nephrology network of more than 1,600 physicians. Now that Interwell Health has merged with Fresenius Health Partners and Cricket Health, the new Interwell Health has unrivaled capabilities and resources that will advance the goal of improving health outcomes for hundreds of thousands of people living with kidney disease in the U.S.
Who was Cricket Health?
Cricket Health, now a part of Interwell Health, was a provider of value-based kidney care with an innovative patient engagement platform and a clinically proven approach to managing CKD and ESKD. Cricket Health helps payers and providers shift their entire approach to kidney disease upstream, enabling them to intervene early and deliver stage-specific care to those who need it most, ultimately reducing costs and improving kidney disease outcomes.
Who is Acumen Physician Solutions?
Acumen Physician Solutions is delivering the next generation of health IT software for nephrology practices. Acumen Epic Connect combines the power of Epic’s world-class electronic health records (EHR) and practice management system, extensive interoperability, and robust patient portal, MyChart, with over two decades of Acumen’s nephrology expertise and superior customer service.
Acumen has always prided itself on providing the best nephrology-specific EHR on the market. The power of Epic has been optimized for nephrology by layering on tools for CKD management, population health for renal patients, value-based care initiatives, and dialysis and hospital rounding.
How does this benefit / accelerate value-based kidney care?
Interwell Health is well-positioned with capabilities, expertise, and reach in value-based kidney care contracting and performance. With a strong physician network and leading-edge technology and analytics platforms in one combined offering, we will also have the financial resources to take on risk-based contracts, which have delivered proven results – lowering costs, improving outcomes, increasing patient satisfaction, and improving care efficiencies and overall societal health.
How will physicians benefit from the combination?
The cornerstone of this merger is physician-centricity – with unrivaled scale the new Interwell Health is positioned to transform the future of kidney care in the U.S. and will ensure physicians continue to have a voice in the decisions that impact patients and physician practices. This merger provides the breadth and resources necessary to support the company’s strong and growing network of over 1,600 nephrologists in driving continued innovation in the kidney care space. With access to an innovative care model and industry-leading platform leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, the new Interwell Health will harmonize workflows across the healthcare ecosystem to support greater impact of and benefits for value-based care.