Fresenius Medical Care and Aetna said they would be launching a program that aims to slow the progression of chronic kidney disease in its members, and provide an easier transition to dialysis or pre-transplant care. The companies said they expect the program to reduce costs and improve dialysis outcomes.

The new program is designed to enhance coordination of care among specialists, primary care providers and nurses, according to the companies. Together, they identify members at risk and improve clinical management in earlier stages of kidney disease to help slow the progression to kidney failure. An important component of the program involves daily communication of the member’s biometric and health status through a wireless communication device that helps the care team identify, address or even prevent potentially serious complications.

"We believe the model will improve our members' quality of life by helping them and their doctors better manage the conditions contributing to or resulting from chronic kidney disease. If dialysis becomes necessary we want to help members begin dialysis with the lowest risk for complications,” says Roger London, M.D., Aetna’s Northeast Region medical director.

The program is modeled after Fresenius Health Partners' five-year demonstration project with Medicare beneficiaries on dialysis. The project resulted in health care costs 12% below the Medicare Advantage and four percent below the Medicare fee-for-service benchmarks for this population. At the same time patients in the program experienced overall improvement in clinical measures including a 24% improvement in the rate of mortality and a 20% reduction in all-cause hospitalization versus national benchmarks.