The Power of the Provider Network: A Community of Nephrologists Driving Exceptional Patient Care

For nephrology practices, the transition from fee-for-service to value-based care is both an opportunity and a challenge. On the one hand, value-based care supports the personalized care physicians want to provide to improve outcomes for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). On the other hand, it requires navigating complex models that demand infrastructure, expertise, and collaboration.

As a leading value-based kidney care provider, Interwell Health supports practices in the shift to value-based care with tangible, thoughtfully designed resources including a patient education platform, the most broadly adopted nephrology specific electronic health record (EHR), practice resources, patient engagement services, and embedded and virtual clinical support. But it is the leadership and vision of Interwell’s provider partners that empowers one of the company’s most precious resources: the Interwell Provider Network.  

Five Reasons to Join the Interwell Provider Network

1. A nationwide community of nephrology leaders

The Interwell Provider Network is a nationwide community of high-performing nephrology leaders committed to delivering exceptional kidney care. With more than 2,200 nephrologists and 200 practices representing 38 states and Puerto Rico, the network fosters collaboration across a diverse array of healthcare environments. Participation is non-exclusive, non-binding, and free for all nephrology practices, regardless of size or scale. As an added benefit: Interwell helps connect relocating patients to aligned nephrologists within the network.

Dr. Heather Jones practices at Eastern Nephrology Associates and is medical director of the kidney transplant program at East Carolina University. She says partnering with Interwell has helped Eastern Nephrology provide more holistic patient care and improve patient engagement, especially in between office visits. She also appreciates how Interwell helps facilitate valuable peer-to-peer connections through the Provider Network.

“What I've really enjoyed in working with Interwell is that it helps me connect with other nephrologists across the country who may have very different perspectives, very different experiences, and also very different tricks and tools that have helped facilitate taking care of kidney disease patients better,” said Dr. Jones. “A lot of times, when you’re in a private practice, you’re thinking about how you’re seeing your patients on a day-to-day basis. Interwell has really supported helping us understand soup to nuts, on an infrastructure level, how we’re doing as a group.”

2. Access to industry-leading best practices, education, and insights

Collaboration is not just a secondary benefit of joining the Provider Network; the sharing of ideas and best practices is planned and purposeful. Through events such as the annual Partner Summit and monthly medical director forums, providers discuss strategies, learn what’s working in different settings, and keep up with new developments in kidney care that can help them enhance patient care and efficiency.

The provider team from Associates in Nephrology in Chicago have attended the Partner Summit since its inception. “The most enjoyable part is the networking with the other physicians, seeing the window of insights of the other practices and what they're doing in their environments and how can we adopt and adapt those better practices,” said Dr. Kareen Simpson. “It's an opportunity to have a seat at the table with powerful allies and be able to give our input so that we can all collectively shape the changing course of the nephrology environment so that our patients get the best quality care.”

In addition to virtual and in-person networking and professional development opportunities for physicians, the Provider Network also includes priority access to advanced practice provider (APP) education and accelerated onboarding. APPs play an increasingly important role supporting nephrology practices with care management and administrative duties, preventing physician burnout while also improving patient care. Many practices in the Provider Network now employ as many APPs as nephrologists, and Interwell helps ensure that both physicians and extenders are prepared and enabled to practice to the top of their licenses. 

3. Support succeeding in value-based care

When providers make the move to value-based care, they must learn to operate in two different worlds: while adopting new workflows and quality metrics focused on outcomes and comprehensive patient care, they are also continuing to serve their patients in fee-for-service arrangements. With that in mind, Interwell has carefully designed a model that supports value-based care and still works in fee-for-service. Clinicians in the Interwell Provider Network take part in a shared savings program and value-based performance agreements that align reimbursement with improved patient outcomes, unlocking opportunities for financial success while enhancing care quality.

“Interwell Health has an astounding vision for improving outcomes and care for patients with kidney disease, as well as processes and services designed by nephrologists for nephrologists to deliver on that vision,” said Dr. Chakravarthi Ramaswamy, past president of Columbus Nephrology. “Interwell has provided relentless support for the practices in our Kidney Contracting Entity, enabling strong clinical plus financial performance and patient outcomes.”

By focusing on augmenting existing processes, rather than entirely overhauling them, Interwell ensures nephrologists retain their clinical decision-making power. Nephrologists are central to the company’s care model and approach to provider enablement; the leadership team and board include physician leaders who understand the needs and challenges practices face daily. In addition, a committee of nephrologists advises the leadership team on all aspects of how the Provider Network operates.

4. Dedicated experts and customized resources

One of the most difficult aspects of transitioning to value-based kidney care is complying with clinical documentation guidelines—a new skill for nephrologists. The purpose of clinical documentation is to accurately capture the full picture of each patient’s health. As part of the Provider Network, nephrology practices have access to education and support from a dedicated quality measures team with decades of collective practice administration experience to ensure compliance and proper documentation.

Interwell also offers a full suite of Practice Resources to help alleviate providers’ administrative burden, including curated services and customized consulting. “Having the opportunity to partner with Interwell for practice resources during a period when we needed extra support was really an amazing service,” said Dr. Alberto Esquenazi of Miami Kidney Group. “I could go on and on about the benefits to our practice. We are all busy physicians who don’t have time to do the nitty-gritty of managing a practice, and Interwell provided the resources we needed when we needed them.”

Patient engagement and education are also key to success in value-based care models. Many practices in the Interwell Provider Network choose to take advantage of Interwell Learning to bolster patient education. Interwell Learning is the only reimbursable* kidney disease education (KDE) series for patients that combines educational resources including bilingual video content, one-on-one sessions with a clinical educator, and printed materials. The series is proven to improve patient engagement and outcomes, including increasing home dialysis starts and achieving a 98 percent “excellent” rating for patient satisfaction.

5. Exclusive technology offerings

As the most trusted and broadly adopted nephrology specific EHR in the industry, Acumen Epic Connect is used by nephrologists and practice administrators across the country—including, but not limited to, many Provider Network members. The fit-for-purpose Acumen platform includes workflows to simplify patient data management and improve operational efficiency. While Acumen is available to practices outside of the Provider Network, members may be eligible for access to exclusive features and patient engagement incentive programs.

Acumen includes a one-of-a-kind rounding application, automated billing, and Epic’s MyChart patient portal. But the benefits of Acumen extend beyond innovative technology. Users can seamlessly exchange data through Epic Care Everywhere and also have access to online resources, support, and networking through the Acumen Customer Community Platform.

Dr. Tony Brown says his practice, Nephrology & Hypertension Associates of New Jersey, chose Acumen because it offers specialized workflows to support value-based care, such as robust patient analytics and population health management tools. “Acumen Epic Connect is a powerful instrument for aligning incentives and driving practice changes that enable physicians to be successful in risk-bearing, pay-for-performance arrangements. It is helping us drive timely interventions, earlier identification of at-risk patients, help reduce readmissions, and much more. All of that adds up to better outcomes, lower costs, and more opportunities for physicians,” said Dr. Brown.

Is your practice ready to enhance kidney care, reduce inefficiencies, and contribute to shaping the future of nephrology? Learn more about the Interwell Provider Network on our website.

*This program was developed in conformance with Medicare’s KDE reimbursement guidelines. Practices subscribe to Interwell Learning and bill Medicare directly based on the KDE benefit guidelines.