Kandu Health Announces Preliminary Clinical Outcomes for Stroke Survivors

Initial results from a novel stroke recovery program demonstrate excellent achievement of functional independence and low hospital readmissions

Kandu Health, Inc., a digital health company that is changing the course of stroke recovery and post-acute care, today announced preliminary outcomes from the first 40 stroke survivors served by its program

Preliminary data from the first 40 stroke survivors served by Kandu demonstrated excellent 90-day modified Rankin Scores (mRS), a measure used to assess the degree of disability in patients who have had a stroke. The data also indicate promising trends for low hospital readmissions and continuity of care for participants.

Kandu Health is working to fulfill an urgent need in healthcare by supporting stroke patients returning to community settings after hospital discharge from stroke. Through its team of expert clinically-licensed navigators, Kandu offers extensive tools and resources for optimized stroke recovery, as well as remote community support groups and an easy-to-use app. With goals to reduce hospital stays and readmissions, lower the cost of healthcare and improve patient outcomes, Kandu Health works closely with healthcare institutions to ensure that care is well integrated and coordinated with existing programming.

“We co-developed Kandu Health with stroke survivors and clinicians because we strongly believe that the holistic support a stroke survivor receives beyond acute hospitalization greatly influences health outcomes and recovery,” said Kirsten Carroll, CEO of Kandu Health, “Early on, we encountered skepticism as to whether this community could engage with an app-based platform, and whether we could make even a small difference in their outcomes. These preliminary results are gratifying, and exciting to share as we continue to build the body of evidence for this type of care.”

Functional Independence

Clinician-assessed mRS scores were captured at 90 days post-discharge for 95% of Kandu participants. Significant functional improvement was seen over time, with 84% achieving mRS scores of 0-2, indicating an ability to live independently, at 90 days – a meaningful improvement from the 60% of participants who were assessed as functionally independent at the time of enrollment. Nearly half of Kandu enrollees participated on their own, without a care partner.

“These data suggest that providing extended support to patients beyond hospital discharge is critical to their recovery and can improve their chances of functional independence,” said Dr. Shlee Song, Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Cedars-Sinai. “As clinicians, we can have a meaningful impact on the post-acute experience for our patients by connecting them with comprehensive support that focuses on mental health, managing impairments and community reintegration. This support can make all the difference for stroke survivors, enabling them to live independently and go grocery shopping, go to the bathroom, manage medications and perform other daily tasks that are important to their quality of life and sense of agency.”

Readmission Rates

The 30- and 90-day all-cause readmission rates for Kandu participants were 6% and 12%, respectively, which compare favorably to published benchmarks. Recent publications have reported unplanned readmission rates ranging from 8.7%-12.5% at 30-days and 18.9% to 20.7% at 90 days^1,2.

Continuity of Care

These results also demonstrated that Kandu participants experienced positive continuity of care across a diverse population of enrollees who reflect the communities most affected by stroke. 10% of Kandu’s first 40 enrollees were Medicaid beneficiaries or uninsured at the time of their stroke, more than half were non-white and 20% had five or more needs related to social determinants of health. Despite these potential barriers to care, 90% of Kandu enrollees had a neurology follow-up within 90 days. Among the 15% of participants who did not have a primary care physician (PCP) prior to their stroke, Kandu navigators were able to assist 100% in establishing care with a PCP. Additionally, 27% of Kandu participants established care with a mental health provider for the first time.

“These outcomes build our confidence in a future state where stroke patients receive comprehensive and well-coordinated care beyond the hospital setting,” said Fred Khosravi, Imperative Care’s Chairman and CEO. “Today, many of these patients go home with little support, and far too often, this leads to suboptimal recovery, and further complications requiring additional hospitalization. Kandu Health offers a program that combines human care with technology, broadening access to care through remote clinical support. These early results indicate the promise for this approach to positively impact survivors’ daily lives while delivering tangible value to healthcare providers and health systems.”