Dr. Popiel Joins Kidney Health Management Leader as Regulatory Changes and Innovations Expand Access to Life-Altering Kidney Care
OCTOBER 27, 2020, TAMPA, FL—Healthmap Solutions, Inc. (Healthmap), a growing specialty Population Health Management (PHM) company with an industry-leading Kidney Health Management (KHM) program, today announced the appointment of Richard Popiel, M.D., MBA, to the position of Chief Medical Officer (CMO) effective November 1, 2020. Dr. Popiel reports directly to Eric Reimer, Healthmap’s Chief Executive Officer and co-Chairman of the Board of Directors. Dr. Popiel joined Healthmap Solutions in November of 2019 as a member of its Board of Directors, and will remain a member of the Board of Directors. As a key member of the executive leadership team, Dr. Popiel will lead medical and clinical initiatives to improve care, quality, and outcomes for patients living with kidney disease while delivering the value-based results that are important to provider partners and health plan clients.
Dr. Popiel is a board-certified internal medicine physician with more than 26 years of healthcare management experience. He is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Xploration Health, LLC (a company which assists people and organizations in navigating the healthcare system) and a Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Co. Dr. Popiel is the former Executive Vice President and Corporate Chief Medical Officer for Cambia Health Solutions, a Portland-based healthcare solutions company working to create a person-focused and economically sustainable healthcare system. Prior to joining Cambia, Dr. Popiel served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Horizon Healthcare Innovations, a Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of New Jersey company. Before that, he served as Horizon BCBS of New Jersey’s Vice President and Chief Medical Officer and as Vice President and Senior Medical Director for The Permanente Company, a subsidiary of Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Popiel serves on the Boards/Advisory Boards of CareCentrix, Medecision, BioiQ, Tabula Rasa Healthcare, Pager, and Sentieo. He is a graduate of The George Washington University Medical School and serves on the Board of The George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates, one of the largest medical groups in the District of Columbia. Dr. Popiel received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
“Dr. Popiel has been a valuable contributor to our Board and we are thrilled to have him bring his exceptional medical and clinical expertise to our work every day as Healthmap’s new Chief Medical Officer,” said Eric Reimer, Chief Executive Officer and co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Healthmap Solutions. “Dr. Popiel is a healthcare industry trailblazer who has distinguished himself as a leader in making healthcare easier for people to navigate, access, and afford. His insights and experience will be invaluable as we continue to advance innovative and value-driven solutions, such as increased adoption of in-home dialysis, that improve care, outcomes and costs for complex kidney patients.”
Kidney disease is a pervasive, chronic condition that is complex and costly to treat. In the U.S. more than 37 million people live with chronic kidney disease, and close to 800,000 have end-stage renal disease (ESRD), the more serious disease state which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive. In 2017, Medicare alone spent a total of $120 billion on kidney care, an increase of $6 billion since 2016. Recent regulatory changes are spurring much needed innovation in the kidney health management sector, including a greater emphasis on in-home dialysis as a means of improving care and costs. Right now, only 12% of newly diagnosed ESRD patients begin dialysis treatment at home. Research shows that in-home dialysis is as safe and effective as in-center treatment. And because in-home treatment can be administered more frequently, patients require fewer medications, have fewer dietary restrictions, retain renal function longer and feel better. In-home dialysis also offers opportunities to reduce costs because it can be administered more frequently, eliminating the in-center treatment “gap” days that are associated with increased hospitalizations, which account for approximately 40% of the cost to Medicare of caring for ESRD patients.
“I am excited to join Healthmap Solutions at this watershed moment in the kidney health management sector,” Dr. Popiel said. “There is a real opportunity to bring meaningful change to the treatment and care of people living with kidney disease and Healthmap is at the forefront. The company’s data-driven and individualized approach, which first and foremost recognizes patients as people living with a debilitating chronic condition, is irrevocably changing people’s lives for the better. It is a privilege to be part of the life-improving work underway at our company and to work side-by-side with such a caring, dedicated, and mission driven team of healthcare professionals.”
Healthmap Solutions is a national leader in kidney health management. In May, the company entered into an agreement with a leading national health plan to provide KHM services for the company’s Medicare Advantage and Commercial health plan members living with kidney disease in Florida. A month later, Healthmap partnered with a large Blues health plan in the western U.S. to provide KHM services. Healthmap is in late-stage contracting with several leading health plans to implement its KHM services, amounting to tens of thousands of patients across the country. Currently, the company supports the health of four million lives and manages $1 billion in medical spend.
In response to a year of significant growth in demand for the company’s proven KHM program, Healthmap expanded its senior leadership team with the appointment of Eric Reimer as Chief Executive Officer on October 1, 2020, and Trent T. Haywood, M.D., J.D., as a member of the Board of Directors on October 15.
About Healthmap Solutions
Healthmap Solutions is a Kidney Health Management (KHM) company serving health plans, accountable care organizations (ACOs), and provider groups seeking value-based solutions that improve the clinical care and financial performance of high-risk, high-cost kidney patient populations. The company has a rich history forged in data and analytics, having begun as a healthcare data clearinghouse, and later adding robust health analytics expertise. Today, Healthmap Solutions uses that experience to power a complex KHM program with its clinical experts. For more information: healthmapsolutions.com
Contact:
Chris Cooney
The WilMark Group
407-921-6932
chris@wilmarkgroup.com
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