Partnership, spanning six states, to increase access to in-home support and personalized resources designed to slow disease progression and improve outcomes for patients with kidney disease.

June 8, 2023

MCLEAN, Va — Somatus, the nation’s leading and largest value-based kidney care company, and Kidney Care Center announced a significant expansion to their existing collaborative efforts. With the success of their established value-based care (VBC) partnership, the two organizations are adding a long-term, joint venture arrangement to improve outcomes for patients living in Illinois, Indiana, Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Florida with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) while also reducing unnecessary Medicare expenses. Additionally, the two groups are joining to participate in Medicare’s Comprehensive Kidney Care Contracting (CKCC) program.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approximately 37 million Americans have CKD, and more than 726,000 have ESKD. The CKCC program incentivizes nephrologists to focus on the total care of their patients and encourages participants to delay the onset of dialysis.

“Somatus has been an incredible partner in our mission to deliver the unparalleled care our patients deserve,” said Dr. Tunji Alausa, Executive Chairman and Chief Medical Officer of Kidney Care Center. “Based on the success of our VBC arrangement with Somatus, we are thrilled to partner with them further in both CKCC and joint venture arrangements, which will allow us to connect more patients with highly skilled local care teams to support the improvement of health outcomes.”

Kidney Care Center is currently transitioning their patients to a CKCC program administered by Somatus. Somatus and Kidney Care Center will now have VBC, CKCC, and joint venture arrangements designed to enhance care for their shared patients through a multidisciplinary local care team, targeted technology and analytics, and direct medical care. The Somatus team includes locally based Registered Nurse Care Managers, Nurse Practitioners, Renal Dietitians, Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Pharmacists, and Patient Health Advocates who deliver whole-person, in-home care, and drive more healthy days at home for patients.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to expand our partnership with Kidney Care Center,” said Somatus Co-Founder and CEO, Dr. Ikenna Okezie. “These two new, additional agreements are testament to the success of our value-based care model which is proven to deliver substantially improved clinical outcomes while avoiding unnecessary costs. This partnership will allow our local care teams to assist more patients with accessing the care they need to slow disease progression and improve their health.”

The foundation of these successful partnerships is based on the physician-driven and machine learning-enabled medical management model that supports physician practices with local care teams acting as an extension of the physician between office visits. This innovative model helps extend the reach of physician practices and offers them the flexibility to see more patients when and where care is needed. In addition, this model includes the Somatus Transition of Care program which provides care coordination, medication management, nutrition, and social services to ensure patients safely return home after an inpatient stay, reducing the likelihood of an avoidable and potentially costly readmission.

About Kidney Care Center

Kidney Care Center (KCC) is a physician-led and quality-driven company that has become one of the leading Nephrologist Practice providers across the United States since its inception over two decades ago.

Kidney Care Center providers specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of all kidney-related conditions. KCC centers have passionate, experienced nephrologists and nurse practitioners, providing the most advanced treatment therapies, from general nephrology to hypertension, as well as dialysis and transplant care. KCC providers work with all members of the care team to become partners in health with all patients.

KCC’s Care model offers individualized care plans that complement our patients’ lives and empowers them to become part of their healthcare journey. Our Value-Based and Integrated Care approach provides our patients with improved experiences and better health outcomes.

Headquartered in Homer Glen, Illinois, and with a footprint currently in eight states, our dedicated team of professionals positively impacts the lives of thousands of kidney patients every day.

About Somatus

Somatus partners with nephrology and primary care groups, leading health plans, and health systems to provide integrated care for patients with, or at risk of developing, kidney disease. As the market leader in value-based kidney care, Somatus’ vertically integrated clinical services and technologies delay or prevent disease progression, improve quality and care coordination, and increase the use of home dialysis modalities and rates of kidney transplantation. Somatus is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, and founded by a team of world-class healthcare operators, successful entrepreneurs, and leading clinicians treating kidney disease. For more information, please visit www.somatus.com.

Disclaimer: The statements contained in this document are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of CMS. The authors assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in the document. 

Kidney Care Center Contact

Michele Crnich
Senior Director, Human Resources and Marketing/Communications
[email protected]

Somatus Contact

Lara Smith
AVP, Marketing and Communications
[email protected]
571-634-2526