Cricket Health’s commitment in the era of COVID-19

COVID-19 has amplified the challenges people living with CKD or ESRD face every day. People with kidney disease are at higher risk of complications from COVID-19, and many will need to take extra precautions to avoid exposure in their daily lives. Providers who care for these patients face new challenges too, including how to best deliver care virtually and how to keep patients safe.

Cricket Health is committed to supporting patients, providers, and health plans with the resources and information needed to empower those living with kidney disease or failure to make the right choices for their health during this public health crisis. 

Cricket Health’s comprehensive approach to kidney care seeks to fundamentally change the status quo. Our care  model includes a multidisciplinary team capable of reaching patients wherever they are by delivering care and support in their homes, online or by telephone via virtual visits. In addition, we offer virtual patient education and professional and peer support to help patients navigate their kidney care journey. Our personalized, evidence-based approach is designed to keep patients healthy, at home, and out of the health care system whenever appropriate. 

We are committed to helping our provider partners to enhance their practices and to bring resources to help them care for their patients remotely. 

At Cricket Health, helping those with kidney disease and kidney failure live their best possible lives has always been our mission, and while the pandemic changes some of how we do that, our goal remains the same.

Carmen A. Peralta, MD, MAS 

Chief Medical Officer

Support for patients

Now, more than ever, it is critical that we ensure those living with kidney disease have the knowledge, resources, and care team to guide them through their kidney care journey. To support our patients in these difficult times, Cricket Health has launched a new COVID-19 FAQ and resource hub on the Cricket Health platform. This knowledge center can serve as a trusted, up-to-date source of information for patients who have questions about COVID-19, what it means for their care, and how to best protect themselves. 

Our patients can also contact members of their care team directly with questions about in-clinic visits or dialysis, the possibility of virtual or in-home care, and filling their medication or supply orders. By engaging our patients throughout this time, Cricket Health’s team can help them make smart health care decisions and reduce infection risk by coordinating one trip to the lab or pharmacy for all of their needs, or, better still, arranging direct mail for their prescriptions or in-home sample collection for labs.

We are focused on keeping patients healthy, at home, and supported with the care and resources they need, while reducing risk of exposure to COVID-19. Our team and the providers we partner with are shifting more visits and follow-ups to virtual care, educating patients virtually about COVID-19, and establishing additional precautions for those patients who must conduct clinic or dialysis visits.

The Cricket Health platform also provides patients with online support not only from their care team, but also their peers, who act as a trusted resource to address patients’ anxiety and answer their questions during this time.

Support for care providers

As the pandemic strains our health care system and burdens providers, it emphasizes the need for a team-based, multidisciplinary approach to kidney care. Cricket Health works closely with nephrologists, primary care doctors, and other providers to keep kidney care patients healthy, at home, and to minimize their risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Kidney care patients face complex health care needs. That is why it’s more important than ever that nephrologists and primary care providers have visibility into their patients’ health and care beyond the clinic walls. Cricket Health does this by empowering these providers with the data insights, care management and coordination tools, and the multidisciplinary care team needed to ensure kidney care patients continue to receive the care and support needed during the public health crisis.

For providers working with Cricket Health, we connect patients with a virtual care team to turn to, including a nurse, pharmacist, social worker, and dietician. With our team supporting them, providers can remain focused on their highest risk  patients while having the confidence that the rest of their kidney care patients have the support they need. 

Support for health plans

The pandemic spotlights the issues our kidney care patients face in navigating a very complex health system that requires them to visit health care facilities frequently, often in uncoordinated fashion, increasing their risk of being exposed to the novel coronavirus.

Working together with health plans, Cricket Health can help members living with kidney disease or failure lower their risk of exposure to COVID-19, while ensuring they are managing their kidney disease and getting the care they need. Cricket Health does this by connecting each member to a patient-centered care team to help educate them on their risks associated with COVID-19, treat and manage their condition, and guide them through their kidney care journey.

In a time of public health crisis, much of this care can be done virtually, which reduces patients’ risk for exposure. Moreover, by providing frequent contact with a health care team, Cricket Health can help signal when members experience declining clinical status and help connect them with appropriate care. This helps to prevent patient visits to the emergency room or hospital, which are both costly and increase their risk of exposure to COVID-19.