Value-based primary care provider Oak Street Health continues to sharpen its focus on chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) with the launch of a multi-year national collaboration with Strive Health.
Earlier this year, Oak Street announced a joint venture with kidney care management company Interwell Health that will offer primary care to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients directly in the dialysis center. The companies said this approach to primary care for ESKD patients aims to reduce hospitalizations, increase kidney transplantations, and improve outcomes to lower the total cost of care.
The partnership with Strive will focus on bringing Strive’s CareMultiplier technology to Oak Street’s provider and care teams. This technology, which gathers data from hundreds of sources to gain a holistic view of a patient’s experience, paints a picture about the risk of hospitalization or progression of stage 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) through end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Strive’s care team members, called Kidney Heroes, will work alongside the patient’s primary care physician at Oak Street Health and serve as an extension of the patient’s primary care physician and nephrologist to help manage both kidney disease and comorbid conditions.
“We focus on delivering compassionate kidney care and Oak Street Health offers the best clinical care model for older adults, so bringing the organizations together in collaboration is a natural fit,” said Will Stokes, co-founder and chief strategy officer at Strive, in a statement. “Through this new, multi-year relationship, we’re committing to changing how care is delivered to people who often require more touch points along their kidney care journey.”
Strive, which raised $166 million in Series C funding from NEA, CVS Health Ventures and others earlier this year, will work with Oak Street Health, which was acquired by CVS Health earlier this year, to deliver a unique approach and specialized population health capabilities for people with late-stage CKD and ESKD. This will equip Oak Street Health’s providers with the resources and tools designed to help people delay the progression of their kidney disease, stay out of the emergency room and experience better quality of life overall.
“Our clinical care model not only leverages our technology platform and interdisciplinary clinical care teams, but also integrates our nephrology partners who play a crucial role in driving improved outcomes and closing care gaps,” said Amit Kapoor, M.D., chief nephrologist at Strive, in a statement.
Through its partnerships with medical groups, nephrologists, health systems and payers, Strive manages 100,000 complex CKD and ESKD patients across 30 states.
“Strive is the right fit as we look to provide this additional comprehensive care to our late-stage CKD and ESKD patients that we serve at our centers,” said Drew Crenshaw, chief population health officer at Oak Street Health, in a statement. “We went through a robust search process and were impressed with Strive’s care model. The strong alignment with their clinical approach, as well as our geographic overlap made it a natural choice.”
