Square Knot Health, a leader in technology-enabled kidney transplant care, has achieved industry leading results with a unique model of care that helps patients navigate the complex world of kidney transplantation.
Nearly 25% of patients referred to Square Knot received a kidney transplant in 1.6 years (on average), and more than half of these received a kidney from a living donor, far exceeding typical outcomes. The results were presented on October 26, 2024, at the 47th Annual Kidney Week Conference in San Diego. https://asn.apprisor.org/index.cfm?k=6q06blxkdi.
Square Knot had a dramatic impact on patients who were previously unable to gain access to the transplant list due to overweight, medical challenges, failure to complete tasks, or geographic isolation and other social determinants of health. With the support of Square Knot, 42% of these patients were added to the transplant waitlist, and 19% received a transplant.
Square Knot Health employs Transplant Peer Navigators (TPNs), telehealth, and artificial intelligence applied to medical records. Barriers to transplant are identified and removed, living donors are identified and supported, and patients are given the ongoing guidance they need to succeed.
“We work independently of, but in close collaboration with, multiple transplant centers. This approach allows us to move patients to the center where they are most likely to succeed. Ten of twenty-five patients who were transplanted in this initial report had difficulties with their initial center but were transplanted at a second or third transplant center with our guidance,” explained Dr. Eliot Heher, Square Knot Health founder and practicing transplant nephrologist. “A number of patients in this cohort remain on the transplant list and we continue to support them as they more towards a future transplant.”
Jullie Hoggan, Square Knot’s co-founder and lead navigator, herself a kidney transplant recipient, explains: “Our patients love the support from someone who has been through this difficult process. They express appreciation for the personalized care and easy-to-understand information provided. We are confident our involvement advances equity in kidney transplantation.”
Specialized AI for Kidney Transplant Assessments
Alongside our excellent results, Square Knot Health has developed a proprietary kidney transplant AI model that helps us quickly scale our impact and support care partners. Patients with chronic kidney disease have exceptionally long and complex medical records that are often scattered across multiple sites. Square Knot deploys AI to automate medical record retrieval, analyze patient candidacy and readiness for transplant, and produce documentation customized for adult nephrologists, transplant centers, and other providers. A top AI research team, patients.app, is embedded within Square Knot Health.
The Clinical and Economic Burden of Chronic Kidney Disease
More than 500,000 patients in the United States require chronic, maintenance kidney dialysis despite clear evidence that kidney transplantation is the optimal treatment for kidney failure. Up to 75% of patients with kidney failure are never referred for transplant, and 80% of those who are referred are neither listed nor transplanted 1 year later. Only 3% of patients who develop kidney failure in the United States each year receive transplants as their first therapy, while the remaining 97% of patients receive dialysis.
The chronic kidney disease market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.6% between 2023 and 2033. Its economic costs to the U.S. healthcare system continue to rise, with Medicare spending over $95 billion in 2022 to treat those with chronic kidney disease and approximately $53 billion on those with kidney failure.
Kidney transplants are more cost-effective than dialysis and improve patient survival and quality of life, mainly when performed before the start of dialysis.
Cost:
Medicare: Medicare spends over $89,000 per year per dialysis patient but only $35,000 per year per kidney transplant patient.
Break-even point: Health plans and patients can recoup the cost of a transplant in as little as 1.7 years, compared to dialysis costs.
Economic Impact: Transplanting patients on the waiting list could contribute over $63 billion to the US economy.
Results from American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week: https://asn.apprisor.org/index.cfm?k=6q06blxkdi.
For more information, www.squareknothealth.com.
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