Universal American ACOs and Fresenius Medical Care Partner to Improve Health of End Stage Renal Disease Patients

Collaborative Health Systems (CHS), a Universal American company (NYSE: UAM), and Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE: FMS), North America’s largest provider of kidney care services, announced an agreement today to provide integrated health care management for patients with renal disease who are enrolled in seven Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations (MSSP ACOs) operated by CHS and physician partners. Under the agreement, the two companies will collaborate to improve outcomes and reduce the total cost of care for renal patients. With its wealth of expertise with this complex population, Fresenius Medical Care will manage the identification, staging and care coordination of renal patients who, with multiple comorbidities, comprise a significant portion of total spending by MSSP ACOs.

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This innovative population health partnership is modeled on the successful programs Fresenius Medical Care operates for more than 10,000 end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and more than 5,000 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients across the country. These programs have delivered meaningful increases in the quality of care for late stage CKD patients and reductions in hospitalization and mortality rates for ESRD patients. Additionally, the jointly developed protocols provide for enhanced collaboration between primary care physicians and nephrologists in caring for and coordinating services to address the complex needs of the renal patient.

Jeff Spight, president of Collaborative Health Systems, addressed the importance of the program. “As the healthcare system shifts from fee-for-service to fee-for-value, we believe there are many opportunities to improve health outcomes while reducing costs for Medicare beneficiaries with renal disease. Not only do renal patients have complex needs, they are a difficult group to identify, making it challenging for providers in ACOs to coordinate their care. We look forward to working with Fresenius Medical Care as we discover new ways to improve the care quality of this important population.”

“We are excited to become a strategic partner with Universal American, Collaborative Health Systems and their ACO physician partners to improve the quality of life and clinical outcomes for people with renal disease,” said Ron Kuerbitz, CEO of Fresenius Medical Care North America. “Collaborative Health Systems has demonstrated its ability to effectively manage health care spending across its ACO network, and we look forward to incorporating our expertise in managing renal disease to further benefit its ACO beneficiaries.”

About Collaborative Health Systems
Collaborative Health Systems (CHS), a Universal American company (NYSE: UAM), is a management services organization that partners with primary care physicians as they move to value-based payment systems. Our core belief is that primary care physicians are in the best position to influence the quality and cost of healthcare. CHS provides comprehensive support for its physician partners by providing actionable data to help coordinate care and helping practices change behavior to meet the new quality requirements of the value-based payment system. CHS currently manages one Next Generation ACO Model, and 22 MSSP ACOs, with approximately 5,000 providers, mostly primary care physicians, covering 239,000 Medicare beneficiaries. For more information, visit www.CollaborativeHealthSystems.com.

About Universal American Corp.
Universal American (NYSE: UAM), through our family of healthcare companies, provides health benefits to people covered by Medicare. We are dedicated to working collaboratively with healthcare professionals, especially primary care physicians, in order to improve the health and well-being of those we serve and reduce healthcare costs. For more information on Universal American, please visit our website at www.UniversalAmerican.com.

About Fresenius Medical Care North America
Fresenius Medical Care North America is the premier health care company focused on providing the highest quality care to people with renal and other chronic conditions. Through its industry-leading network of dialysis centers, outpatient cardiac and vascular labs, and urgent care centers, as well as the continent’s largest practice of hospitalist and post-acute providers, Fresenius Medical Care North America provides coordinated health care services at pivotal care points for hundreds of thousands of chronically ill customers. As the world’s largest fully vertically integrated renal company, it offers specialty pharmacy and laboratory services, and manufactures and distributes the most comprehensive line of dialysis equipment, disposable products, and renal pharmaceuticals. For more information, visit www.FMCNA.com.

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