In a featured session at Becker’s 15th Annual Meeting, Joe Vattamattam, co-founder and president of Healthmap Solutions, presented a data-driven case for value-based kidney care.
He emphasized the urgent need for earlier intervention, integrated support, and smarter use of AI to manage this high-risk, high-cost population.
Here are four key takeaways from the session:
1. Kidney disease is common and costly
According to the National Kidney Foundation, an estimated 37 million adults — more than one in seven — are living with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Vattamattam noted that CKD accounts for more than $300 billion in annual healthcare spending.
He also highlighted a critical care gap: Two in five patients with late-stage CKD aren’t under the care of a nephrologist, which can lead to worse outcomes and rising costs.
“In Medicare , this accounts for 15% of beneficiaries but they represent 25% of the cost,” Vattamattam said. “There’s an opportunity to make a big dent here.”
2. Improving care and costs
Healthmap’s strategy begins early, identifying patients as soon as CKD Stage 3. The organization uses a dual-channel model to engage both providers and patients with tailored interventions.
The key to success, Vattamattam said, is ensuring communication among providers so patients receive consistent and coordinated care from their trusted healthcare providers.
This approach not only improves outcomes but also drives high engagement rates — between 70% and 75%.
“Now the member has a better understanding of what they need to do to be able to maintain their health. They’re in control of it,” Vattamattam said.
3. AI delivers the right care at the right time
Healthmap applies AI in practical, clinician-facing ways. Its AI assistant, Clara, consolidates claims data, clinical data, and patient interactions to generate real-time care recommendations.
Crucially, these insights are delivered to Healthmap’s care team — not directly to patients — so the Healthmap care team can discuss these insights, challenges, and barriers to care in a manner the patients are able to understand,which allows for clinical oversight, consistency, and continuity of care.
“The amount of efficiency it brings to our clinicians is even better,” Vattamattam said. “It allows them to operate at the top of their license. They’re not worried about, let me grab this data from here and grab this data there. This just lets them have a conversation with the member.”
4. Results that matter to patients and providers
Healthmap’s model has shown measurable results:
- 8% to 12% reduction in total cost of care
- 20% to 30% drop in inpatient admissions and readmissions
- 30% to 50% increase in home dialysis starts
- 20% to 30% reduction in unplanned dialysis initiations
By slowing disease progression and increasing planned care transitions, the program supports better quality of life and clinical outcomes.
Because traditional pre-post comparisons can be unreliable amid volatile healthcare trends, Vattamattam advocates for leveraging clinical quality-based metrics to measure value.
“We are very motivated by making a difference in our patients’ lives,” Vattamattam said. “That’s what we’re going for. It’s a holistic approach, we’re here to drive better care.”
