Back from the Brink
How Curally found and managed a participant’s serious, untreated health condition
Curally’s Medical Director, Dr. Ernie Vesta, was studying the claims data from one of the company’s new corporate clients when something jumped off the page. Andrew, a security professional, had generated more than $58,000 in claims in the most recent quarter. Buried deep in Andrew’s file, on a single line, were two key words: “Renal Insufficiency.”
“That was the big red stop sign for me,” says Dr. Vesta. “It was in the third diagnosis column. The amazing thing is, in the past, these forms only had two columns for diagnoses. No one ever may have seen it!”
The Curally team reached out to Andrew because they believed he might have significant kidney problems. Sure enough, once he came under Curally’s management, they got a better picture of his condition: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, difficulty walking, undiagnosed kidney stones, and, worst of all, Stage 3 kidney failure – on the border of Stage 4. He hadn’t been to see his primary care physician in several years, and all his conditions were unmonitored. “Andrew was at serious risk,” says Dr. Vesta. “All it could have taken to go from Stage 3 kidney failure to Stage 5 might have been a high fever for a few days treated with ibuprofen.”
Andrew needed help, and that’s exactly what Curally exists to do.
As he began management under the Curally team, Andrew set a goal: he wanted to be able to attend and dance at his daughter’s wedding, just 3 months away.
The Curally team immediately sprang into action to provide the support and structure Andrew needed for a dramatic turnaround. They worked with him from a variety of angles:
- Changing doctors. Curally encouraged Andrew to find a primary care physician he was comfortable with, and who understood and could help with his conditions.
- Changing medication. Curally worked with Andrew and his doctor to prescribe proper medication that would deal with his underlying problems, not just symptoms.
- Exercise. Since Andrew’s foot pain made walking difficult, Curally helped him to find a form of exercise that he could do. He discovered he loved biking alongside his wife!
Days and weeks passed, and Andrew’s condition began to improve. One month later, his blood pressure had come down, close to normal. Another month passed, and he began to lose weight. The next month later, he checked in with his doctor to find that his blood pressure was completely normal, his weight was down, and he had a new lease on life.
That weekend, Andrew went to his daughter’s wedding – and he danced.
Under continued management, Andrew saw further health improvements. At an annual screening, his creatinine level – a measure of kidney health, where higher numbers indicate poor kidney function – was normal. He had gone from the brink of dialysis for the rest of his life to normal kidney function! Not only that, but his kidney stone issues were resolved and Curally helped him find a podiatrist who would perform surgery on his feet to allow him to regularly walk again.
“I’m astonished,” said Andrew’s nephrologist at his latest evaluation. “It’s almost a miracle.”
These health gains have had financial benefits, too. When Dr. Vesta discovered Andrew’s case, he had more than $58,000 in claims in the most recent quarter. After Curally helped him get things back on track, that was down to just $2,000 per quarter.
More than two years later, the health benefits have lasted. “We’ve proven ourselves to him over all this time,” says Dr. Vesta. “He trusts us whenever he has a concern, and we can help him find the right doctor and hold him accountable to stick to the plan. Andrew has demonstrated that with proper coaching, he can do anything.”
Wrapping Up
Andrew never even knew he had some of these problems and may have stumbled blindly into disastrous health consequences. Curally was able to identify him as high-risk, proactively reach out to begin helping him, and build a lasting relationship of trust and care.
Contact us to learn how Curally can help find high-risk individuals in your organization and help them achieve the health they deserve!
The Participant
Age:
60s
Gender:
Male
Profession:
Security
Conditions managed:
Kidney failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, kidney stones, & foot pain
Diastolic Blood Pressure
Diastolic blood pressure: your blood pressure as measured in between heartbeats, an important measure of heart health.
Normal: <80
Elevated: 81-89
High: 90+
