Interwell's CEO Reflects on Two Years of Reimagining Kidney Care

For far too long, the healthcare system has done too little, too late for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). When we launched Interwell Health, we knew if we got the model right we could make a real difference in patients’ lives. Two years into pursuing our mission of reimagining kidney care, we are extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished: we are improving health outcomes for our patients, delivering strong results for our partners, and driving sustainable change in how our healthcare system manages kidney disease.

Our foundational care model sets us apart

Interwell was formed in August 2022 when Fresenius Health Partners, Cricket Health, and legacy InterWell Health joined together on a journey to transform kidney care. To enhance our capabilities, we then integrated the nephrology specific electronic health record (EHR) Acumen Epic Connect into our offerings with the addition of Acumen Physician Solutions.

With more than 20 years of combined experience from across four leading healthcare companies, we have insight into the needs of the CKD patient population that no one else can match. We have used this insight to refine a two-pronged foundational care model that includes care management and provider enablement. It is built to serve patients with CKD stage 3 through end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and proven to deliver clinical and financial results.

Our approach to care management allows us to meet patients’ needs with personalized, evidence-based, data-driven interventions that are delivered by our interdisciplinary care team in the most effective care setting — whether that’s in the patient’s home, over the phone, virtually, in a dialysis center, or at a provider practice. We believe everyone living with CKD should have access to the best possible care, and to help fill in the gaps of a complex and fragmented healthcare system we also act as an extension of primary care for patients who are unable to see a local nephrologist.

The second component of our care model is provider enablement. We have always taken a provider-centric approach to transforming kidney care, and that includes supporting local physicians with resources such as innovative incentive programs, customized reporting, clinical documentation support, embedded renal care coordinators, administrative tools, our patient education series Interwell Learning, and access to Acumen Epic Connect. By helping our provider partners build a strong foundation for success in value-based payment models, we are promoting systemic change in how kidney care is delivered.

We are better when we work together

When we formed Interwell, we put a great deal of thought into our core values. We made a promise to ourselves to do what is right, even when it’s hard, because we care deeply about the people we serve. We vowed to remain curious and humble. We set an intention to approach our work with joy. And we committed to collaborating with each other and our partners, knowing together we can make a positive impact on people’s lives. This year we were honored to have Modern Healthcare recognize our focus on culture and our employee-first approach by naming Interwell one of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare in 2024.

As we considered how to celebrate our two-year milestone, we decided to create a dedicated space to recognize the heart and hard work that go into transforming kidney care. As CEO, I believe one of my greatest responsibilities — and greatest benefits — is to celebrate the incredible work that our “Wellies” accomplish each and every day to help our patients live their best lives. With our new series “Inside Interwell,” I am excited to show off our inspirational team members and their accomplishments, bringing to life the stories of the real heroes behind what we do.

We deliver on our promises

To drive down the costs of what is an extremely expensive, pervasive, and growing disease, the government and private payers are increasingly incentivizing value-based kidney care models. With this push, there has been an influx of startups in the space — and many use language similar to ours to describe their own care models. The difference? “We deliver on our promises.” It’s not just one of our corporate values; it’s what drives us every day and informs everything we do.

From our clinicians on the frontlines caring for patients to our analytics team behind the scenes ensuring the highest-level performance for our partners, our team is unrivalled and unstoppable. Thanks to their dedication, Interwell has earned our reputation for driving outcomes that matter. Over the last two years, we have reduced hospitalizations and readmissions, improved patient engagement, slowed disease progression, and increased optimal starts, home dialysis, and transplant rates across our entire patient population.  

We are driving sustainable change to improve lives

We know driving sustainable change to create a better future for all patients with kidney disease is only possible if we can show that we are measurably driving down the cost of care for managing CKD. We have the data to show we are saving the healthcare system money, and health plans are taking notice. Compared to the national average spend for CKD, we have helped health plans achieve 43 percent lower costs.

The proof that our care model is working is in the results, and in the strength and growth of our partnerships. We built a model that delivers, and our success is attracting providers and payers across the country that are choosing to partner with Interwell. In the last year, we have expanded our payer footprint, more than 450 new providers began using Acumen Epic Connect, and 75 practices joined the Interwell Provider Network — which is the largest in the country aligning more than 2,000 providers nationwide.

Our work is not done. Value-based kidney care is still relatively new and making the transition to a performance-based model does not come without challenges. Looking back on the last two years, I am confident we are on the right path and look forward to seeing what our team accomplishes in the years ahead as we continue to work together toward our mission of reimagining kidney care.