Sun Life partners with Somatus to provide comprehensive services for late-stage kidney disease and cardiovascular care

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Feb 06, 2024, 09:00 ET

WELLESLEY, Mass., Feb. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Life U.S. has named Somatus as a preferred partner to further support the company's strategy to increase access to care while managing rising costs. Through this partnership, Somatus will deliver a unique and coordinated care model for Sun Life's stop-loss members who have late-stage kidney disease and heart disease, two of the most frequently seen conditions in Sun Life's annual High Cost Claims report.

Sun Life's solution, Kidney Care 360 and Heart Care 360, are aimed at two different patient populations, using one unique care management approach that will be an extension of Sun Life's Clinical 360 program. Clinical 360 combines data analytics and clinical expertise to improve patient care and outcomes while reducing costs. Clinical 360 will work with Sun Life's clients to identify members who will benefit most from working with Somatus' multidisciplinary care team to help establish a care plan that is individualized to the member's needs and preferences, including home health.

"Healthcare costs and access are two of the biggest challenges Americans face when trying to address a health condition," said Jennifer Collier, president, Health and Risk Solutions, Sun Life U.S. "Sun Life is committed to finding ways to directly impact access and quality of care so that our members can experience better health outcomes. We are pleased to partner with Somatus so that our members with kidney or congestive heart disease will receive coordinated, personalized care that improves their health and reduces costs for our clients."

Somatus focuses on whole-person care when it comes to both chronic kidney disease and congestive heart failure. Somatus' innovative and comprehensive care model leverages AI-driven technology to address patient care needs related to medication management, care coordination, nutritional support, and transitions of care support that empower patients to take an active role in their health.

By providing full-service teams of experts to patients living with these conditions, Somatus works with patients' existing providers to act as an extension of their care plan and drive greater healthcare access, helping to ensure that all aspects of care are being coordinated and optimized for improved patient health.

"We are excited to expand our reach and bring our proven medical model to more people through this partnership with Sun Life," said Somatus' co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ikenna Okezie. "Our model has proven outcomes of 17% reduction in medical expenses and 31% reduction in clinically avoidable hospitalizations in the Medicare Advantage space, while proactively improving access to care where and when it is needed. We look forward to extending similar results to Sun Life's commercial members."

Access to Somatus' services will be available at no additional cost to Sun Life's stop-loss clients. As the largest independent stop-loss provider in the country, Sun Life protects self-funded employers when their employees have a high-dollar medical claim. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent source for health policy research, 65% of U.S. employees are currently in a self-funded plan.

About Somatus
Somatus partners with leading health plans and their in-network specialist, primary care, and health system providers to deliver integrated care for patients with, or at risk of developing, kidney disease and related chronic conditions. As the market leader in value-based kidney care, Somatus' vertically integrated clinical services and AI-driven technologies delay or prevent disease progression, improve quality and care coordination, and increase the use of home dialysis modalities and rates of kidney transplantation. The company is headquartered in McLean, Virginia and founded by a team of world-class healthcare operators, successful entrepreneurs, and leading clinicians. For more information, please visit www.somatus.com.

About Sun Life U.S.

Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of September 30, 2023, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1.34 trillion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Sun Life U.S. is one of the largest providers of employee and government benefits, helping more than 50 million Americans access the healthcare and coverage they need. Through employers, industry partners and government programs, Sun Life U.S. offers a portfolio of benefits and services, including dental, vision, disability, absence management, life, supplemental health, medical stop-loss insurance, and healthcare navigation. Sun Life employs nearly 8,300 people in the U.S., including associates in our partner dental practices and affiliated companies in asset management. Group insurance policies are issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley Hills, Mass.), except in New York, where policies are issued by Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.) (Lansing, Mich.). For more information visit our website and newsroom.

Media Contacts:
Anjie Coplin
Sun Life U.S.
[email protected]

Lara Smith
Somatus, Inc.
[email protected]

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SOURCE Sun Life U.S.