My Why: Advocating for Value-Based Kidney Care through Personal Experience

When Jacquie Ricci joined Interwell Health as senior director of network development, she brought with her more than just two decades of industry experience. She had a deeply personal connection to kidney care—a connection forged through her own father’s difficult health journey.

Witnessing the flaws in the system

Jacquie’s father was diagnosed with stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) in 2018—a diagnosis that marked the start of a challenging and often frustrating experience with the healthcare system. Although Jacquie was an experienced professional in the nephrology space, she found herself powerless against the systemic barriers and inefficiencies her father faced.

First, the placement of her father’s peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter was delayed over the holiday season. Second, following the procedure, he was discharged with incorrect post-operative care instructions—an oversight that could have caused serious complications if Jacquie hadn’t caught it.

Unfortunately, Jacquie’s father passed away in October 2021. For Jacquie, this experience underscored broader gaps in the healthcare system where patients in late-stage kidney disease often face inadequate care coordination and oversight, placing unnecessary strain on both patients and their families.

“It’s a fundamental breakdown,” Jacquie says. “Even with my extensive network of nephrologists across the country, I couldn’t fix the system my dad was forced to go through. That was a wake-up call. It was time to make a change.”

Stepping into value-based kidney care

The experience of her father’s illness spurred Jacquie to rethink her career path. She left her corporate role at a large healthcare organization to join a startup aiming to disrupt kidney care. That path eventually brought her to Interwell, where she saw an opportunity to drive change upstream, focusing on early interventions and value-based solutions.

At Interwell, Jacquie channels her vast experience working with nephrologists into building partnerships that empower practices to succeed in value-based kidney care. Her role involves connecting nephrology practices to programs like the government’s value-based kidney care model and providing the tools and resources needed to slow kidney disease progression, reduce hospitalizations, and improve patient care at every stage of the disease.

“The change must happen upstream,” Jacquie emphasizes. “The current system is reactive; it waits until patients are in late stages of kidney disease to intervene. By working with nephrologists to adopt value-based care models, we shift the focus to prevention, education, and keeping patients healthier longer.”

Combining professional credibility with a personal mission

“I often share my dad’s story when I meet with nephrologists,” says Jacquie. “It’s not just data for me; it’s personal. I’ve seen the gaps in clinical care and patient education. I’ve experienced the frustration families feel when they’re left without proper guidance. That’s why I’m here at Interwell—to help fix those gaps.”  

Through her work at Interwell, Jacquie is contributing to a larger mission of transforming kidney care. “This is not just about meeting benchmarks or hitting goals,” Jacquie says. “Value-based care is about improving lives—giving patients more time at home, reducing preventable hospital visits, and empowering nephrologists to deliver the best care possible. We’re not here to replace nephrology practices; we’re here to be their partners in making a difference.”

Jacquie sees a bright future for value-based kidney care, one in which practices across the country are equipped to shift away from reactive, fee-for-service models and toward proactive, patient-centered care. And for practices hesitant to make the leap, she offers reassurance.

“We simplify the complexity for nephrologists,” she explains. “Interwell is the easy button for getting into value-based kidney care. We’re here to help practices evolve and thrive in this new model, reducing the overwhelming administrative burden that often comes with it.”