Somatus Becomes First Value-based Kidney Care Management Provider to Receive NCQA Accreditation for Health Equity
August 6, 2024
MCLEAN, VA — Somatus, the nation’s largest and leading provider of value-based kidney care, today announced it has been awarded the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) Health Equity Accreditation. Somatus is the first value-based kidney care and chronic condition management provider to receive this distinction.
Somatus’ high-touch, in-home care delivery model for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), congestive heart failure (CHF) and their related comorbid conditions has become the national standard, serving more than 180,000 patients nationwide in 2024. Achieving NCQA Accreditation for Health Equity substantiates equality across Somatus’ workforce, governing body, leadership, and—most importantly—Somatus’ commitment to reduce health disparities and work to achieve equality in access to care, treatment modalities, and outcomes for the members Somatus serves.
“Our goal for Somatus has always been to offer a scalable solution that focuses on delaying kidney disease progression, keeping people as healthy as possible, and bringing justice in outcomes to individuals and communities affected by health inequities,” said Dr. Ikenna Okezie, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Somatus. “Receiving the NCQA Health Equity Accreditation is validation we are achieving those goals and are making a significant impact to improve equity, access, and outcomes for the patients we are privileged to serve.”
One way Somatus’ significant impact can be seen is in the efforts they are achieving to reduce inequities in kidney care for their Black program participants*, including:
- 63% higher access to nephrology care
- 95% higher home dialysis start
- 1x higher adoption of disease-delaying medications
- 4x higher pre-emptive kidney transplant waitlist rates
*All percentages are relative to national averages for Black Americans USRDS 2023.
The Health Equity Accreditation achieved by Somatus focuses on the foundation of health equity work: building an internal culture that supports the organization’s external commitment to reducing health disparities; collecting data that helps the organization foster diversity to align with its membership and offering language services and provider networks mindful of individuals’ cultural and linguistic needs; identifying opportunities to reduce health inequities and improve health outcomes across groups that historically do not have equal access to health care.
“Kidney care has been marked by longstanding disparities in outcomes for patients. Promoting health equity is core to the work that we do,” said Dr. Joe Kimura, Somatus’ Chief Medical Officer. “Our clinical model is designed to focus on patient-centered, whole-person care, and our care teams work daily to address disparities in outcomes and promote health equity for our patients.”
Somatus received the NCQA Health Equity Accreditation following an extensive review of its policies, work processes, health equity and diversity data collection and trending methodologies, workforce education and preparedness training.
About Somatus
Somatus partners with nephrology, cardiology, and primary care groups, leading health plans, and health systems to provide integrated care for patients with, or at risk of developing, kidney and heart disease. As the market leader in value-based kidney care, Somatus’ fully integrated clinical services and AI-driven technologies delay or prevent disease progression, improve quality and care coordination, and increase the use of home dialysis modalities and rates of kidney transplantation. In 2024, Somatus expanded its program to contract for individuals with congestive heart failure. The company is headquartered in McLean, Virginia and founded by a team of world-class healthcare operators, successful entrepreneurs, and leading clinicians. For more information, please visit www.somatus.com.
Somatus Contact
Lara Smith
AVP, Communications
571-634-2526
[email protected]
About NCQA
NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. In recognition for its leadership in diversity, equity and inclusion, NCQA has won the Excellence in Diversity Award from the Chesapeake Human Resources Association. NCQA’s website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more-informed health care choices. NCQA can be found online at ncqa.org, on Twitter @ncqa, and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncqa.
