Feb. 22, 2021

Hoping to achieve higher quality care at a lower cost by prevention rather than treatment, Carolina Kidney Partners (CKP), a five practice, physician-owned organization in South Carolina and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina announce an innovative partnership. Through a value-based arrangement, which is an approach that rewards agreed upon quality metrics rather than payment for individual tests and treatments, CKP’s fully committed physicians’ groups anticipate being able to provide an enhanced level of care and improved outcomes to commercial BlueCross members who have chronic kidney disease.  

CKP will be responsible for care management of patients. That includes responsibility for best in class data analytics and care coordinators embedded in each practice location. Other material oversight of personalized patient care could include more intensive patient outreach, patient education and nutrition counseling. All of which supports a multi-faceted approach that focuses on delaying progression of kidney disease, improving the transition to dialysis, increasing the use of transplantation and increasing the number of patients with home dialysis.
 
Dr. Shawn Stinson, senior vice president of healthcare innovation and improvement at BlueCross, said, “We are fortunate in South Carolina to have physicians like those in Carolina Kidney Partners who are willing to think progressively about maximizing health for their patients and our members.  We are pleased to be able to partner with them, and to invest in their efforts to halt or delay disease progression, thus helping people lead healthier lives.”

Dr. David Mahvi, CEO of Carolina Kidney Partners, agreed. He said, “We are eager to get started. Our partnership with BlueCross will free CKP’s physician partners to deliver more individualized patient care. Under this agreement, physicians can focus on delivering the best care to their patients.  We hope to achieve higher quality care at a lower cost by prevention rather than treatment.”

Dr. Joseph Brannigan, chief medical officer of Carolina Kidney Partners, said, “The platform our physicians developed anticipates which patients are most at risk for disease progression allowing us to focus our attention on that subset of patients.  I have been impressed that our mix of software, and care coordination results in more personalized treatment.  We share the vision of BlueCross to prevent disease progression.”

According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, it is estimated that there are several thousand people diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in South Carolina, with the disease disproportionately affecting African Americans. The most common cause of kidney failure is diabetes, and the second leading cause of chronic kidney disease is uncontrolled high blood pressure. 

For more information contact Dr. David Mahvi at: mahvi@carolinakidneypartners.com or Dr. Joe Brannigan at: brannigan@carolinakidneypartners.com  

About Carolina Kidney Partners

CKP is an organization conceived and owned by physicians to better serve physician groups and their patient populations.  CKP’s mission is to improve patient outcomes through value-based-care, while providing physician groups the contracting, analytical and care coordination/delivery competencies to confidently engage with payers in value-based contracts. Carolina Kidney Partners is a group of more than 90 nephrology providers throughout the state of SC.

About BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., and operating in South Carolina for more than 70 years, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The only South Carolina-owned and operated health insurance carrier, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina comprises more than 20 companies involved in health insurance services, U.S. DoD health programs and Medicare contracts, other insurance and employee benefits services, and a philanthropic foundation that funds programs to improve health care and access to health care for South Carolinians.