Optum to manage kidney care management services

Last modified: Jan. 30, 2023

Updated to note that UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage and UnitedHealthcare DSNP members will still have access to the Somatus program in certain markets.

Effective Jan. 1, 2023, we’ve transferred kidney care management services from Somatus to Optum Kidney Resource Services (KRS) for UnitedHealthcare commercial plan members.

This change applies to patients with UnitedHealthcare commercial plans in the following locations:

Georgia
Maryland
Tennessee
Virginia
Washington, D.C.

Note: Qualified UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage and UnitedHealthcare Dual Special Needs Plan (DSNP) members will still have access to the Somatus program in these markets, as well as the Oklahoma market. Additionally, UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage members in the following new locations will have access to Somatus:

Connecticut
Illinois
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Rhode Island

Notifying and enrolling patients

In mid-November, we sent a letter to patients who had been engaged in the Somatus program to inform them of these changes.

Also, beginning Dec. 1, 2022, KRS care team members began calling patients who previously engaged in the Somatus program to enroll them in the KRS program.

Participation in the KRS program

This program is a resource provided through your patient’s UnitedHealthcare benefit plan and offered at no additional cost. Participation in the program is voluntary, and they can opt out at any time.

If patients want to continue their care management through Somatus, unfortunately, we’re no longer offering the program under their health plan.

KRS program overview

KRS offers the following personalized kidney care management options to your patients:

Help patients with what they need to be safe and healthy at home after a hospital stay
Discuss treatment options and help patients get connected to the right resources and organizations
Provide patients with tools to help with medication discussions, delay disease progression and advanced care planning
Assist in coordinating services for patients in their local area if they need transportation, food or other resources
Assist patients with scheduling their routine screenings and tests