Leading kidney care provider launches pilot to proactively identify behavioral health issues that impact patient outcomes and streamline care team communication
Tridiuum, the nation’s premier provider of digital behavioral health solutions, today announced it has been selected for a first-of-its-kind behavioral health pilot with Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), the nation’s leading provider of kidney care products and services. The pilot, which will begin with dialysis centers in the North Georgia area, will integrate the Tridiuum ONE platform into the company’s clinical workflow for early identification of patients’ behavioral health issues.
Studies show that behavioral health conditions including depression and anxiety disorders are prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). These conditions often impact patients’ overall quality of life and can lead to longer hospitalizations and higher mortality. Undiagnosed behavioral conditions can directly affect a patient’s adherence to lifesaving treatment and medication regimens.
The Tridiuum ONE platform will be used by FMCNA’s care team to more proactively assess the behavioral health status of its patients, with a goal to better coordinate the most appropriate care for those who screen positive for behavioral health conditions. Tridiuum’s clinically-validated assessments surface indications of behavioral conditions in real-time, at the point-of-care. Proprietary analytics calculate a corresponding behavioral risk score and trigger real-time alerts, enabling FMCNA’s care team to stratify patients by acuity and direct them to the most appropriate and cost-effective level of care.
“Patients who are struggling with behavioral health challenges are likely to have both higher medical costs and less optimal clinical outcomes,” said Dr. Terry Ketchersid, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of FMCNA’s Integrated Care Group, who is spearheading the pilot with the Tridiuum team. “To deliver the best care for our patients and their families, we must address both physical and behavioral health issues. Tridiuum will help us to not only identify behavioral health conditions, but also to improve access to the right care at the right time to maximize the impact of our interventions.”
The pilot, which will begin in early 2021, signals FMCNA’s ongoing dedication to better care coordination for dialysis patients by improving quality of care while reducing overall costs. Fresenius Medical Care Ventures, which invests in emerging technologies and therapies which will have a significant value for the patient and for the healthcare system, served as a strategic co-investor in Tridiuum’s Series B funding round in 2018.
“Fresenius Medical Care understands our mission and recognizes the importance of integrating behavioral and clinical care to improve patient outcomes,” said Mark Redlus, CEO for Tridiuum. “We’re thrilled that they are taking the steps necessary to provide the early screening that will empower their team to make more timely interventions to improve patients’ lives—and save time and money for everyone involved.”