Special Needs Health Plan Launches in Arizona, Focus Is Chronic Kidney Disease

The plan will be available to Arizona residents who have chronic conditions including diabetes, heart failure, cardiovascular and end stage renal disease and are Medicare eligible. Gold Kidney of Arizona will begin enrolling members in its new Medicare Advantage plan beginning October 15, 2022. Our service area includes the counties of Gila, Maricopa, Pima and Pinal in Arizona.

“We are really pleased to offer the Medicare Health Plan in Arizona Intended for Medicare beneficiaries living with chronic conditions that lead to and include kidney failure,” said Dave Firdaus, CEO of Gold Kidney Health Plan. “Currently Medicare beneficiaries who live in Arizona with chronic diseases especially ESRD have limited choice of Medicare Advantage coverage. For example, there is no ESRD Medicare C-SNP plan in Maricopa County today.”

Under Gold Kidney Health Plan’s model of care, a team of experts, including primary care physicians and nephrologists, will collaborate more closely to develop individualized care plans which address each member’s unique health care needs. The member will choose a primary care physician, a nephrologist, and be provided a nurse care manager knowledgeable in the patients’ chronic conditions to help them understand their coverage and answer questions.

“Our goal is to improve our members’ health and delay their disease progression, and if they must start dialysis, we will be with them and their significant others to help them understand and facilitate their choices for receiving either a kidney transplant, starting on dialysis, and/or continuing to live the quality of life they desire” said Kirsten Sorensen, VP of Clinical Services for Gold Kidney Health Plan. “That’s why we have partnered with trusted primary care physicians, nephrologists, hospitals, pharmacies, and other providers — to make sure Gold Kidney Health Plan members get the right care at the right time with the right resources. Our mission is to improve our members’ health outcomes through empowering our members and providers with improved access to health care, less prior authorizations, lower out of pocket costs, and benefits designed specifically with their daily health care needs in mind.”