Kidney Care Innovation Generates Savings for Sponsors of Health Plans for Union Members
An innovation in kidney care is being called a win for both union members and the employers and labor unions who sponsor their health plans.
Using its Nobel Prize-winning data-driven process, Rejuvenate Kidney Transplant Solutions identifies kidney failure patients earlier and gets them transplanted faster, resulting in significant cost-savings for clients and a better quality of life for their employees.
In early 2023, Rejuvenate applied this innovative thinking to its business model, launching a single-case agreement structure that eliminates the financial risk for employers and labor unions who sponsor health plans for union members.
“The health plan sponsor isn’t charged until an individual receives a kidney transplant and it generates savings compared to what the cost would have been on dialysis,” says Mark Blum, executive director of America’s Agenda and president of SolidaritUS Health, a labor-owned primary care network. “The single-case agreement structure will change lives because employers and labor unions can offer this cutting-edge, cost-saving and lifesaving innovation without taking on any financial risk.”
Generating Game-changing Savings
Today in the United States, one in seven Americans has chronic kidney disease. Once a patient reaches kidney failure, the burden of dialysis on a plan sponsor typically ranges from $20,000 to $30,000 per month. The charges can last up to 33 months, after which Medicare takes over as the primary payer.
Based on this data, a plan sponsor could pay between $660,000 to $990,000 per person receiving dialysis. In comparison, a one-time kidney transplant costs approximately $125,000.
Rejuvenate expedites the path to transplant and only receives compensation if dialysis expenses are avoided.
“What Rejuvenate does is help a plan like mine avoid hundreds of thousands of dollars of ongoing costs,” said Patrick Pine, chief administrative officer of the Robert F. Kennedy Farm Workers Medical Plan. “I’m also providing a better quality of life for those facing dialysis.”
Improving Health Outcomes for Patients
Kidney transplants are widely accepted as the gold standard of care for people with kidney failure, as transplant recipients are not only healthier than those on dialysis but also live an average of ten years longer.
“When you undergo dialysis, it’s very life-limiting,” says Pine. “A transplant frees up individuals to live a much better lifestyle, both for them and their loved ones.”
The lives of several union members have already been saved through the relationship between their employers and Rejuvenate. Orlando, a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, received a lifesaving transplant faster and avoided the ongoing negative impact of dialysis.
“When I got the call, it was an experience that I will never forget,” says Orlando. “Working with Rejuvenate, I felt my life was going to change. They actually saved my life. I feel like a new person.”
“It’s truly a win-win,” says Blum. “The innovative thinking of the team at Rejuvenate ensures the benefit goes back to the patients, as well as the employers and labor unions who are paying for the benefit.”
Ready to Learn More?
If you sponsor a health plan for union members, Rejuvenate can help you generate game-changing savings for healthcare budgets and improved health outcomes for those who suffer from kidney failure. Contact Rejuvenate today to learn more.