Cano Health: COVID-19 Response and Treatment

Company leaders Drs. Aguilar and Hernandez are among the authors of clinical paper on understanding COVID-19 treatment approach

MIAMI,  May 4, 2020 — Cano Health has long since been prepared to weather a crisis of the magnitude that is now gripping the country with the spread of COVID-19.   More than 1,500 company associates and clinical staff labor daily to win the battle against the unprecedented pandemic by using the enterprise’s proprietary care management system (CanoPanorama) which allows for complex, high-risk case management and patient disease stratification.

To date over 25,000 of Cano’s members have been called by case managers with the aim of identifying and closely monitoring high-risk patients through its COVID-19 clinical task force. These patients also receive the benefit of early treatment and preventive medication. The sickest patients, identified through a COVID-19 specific and proprietary algorithm, get daily specialized care.

As part of the program, Cano Health has also significantly expanded its telemedicine, pharmacy in-home delivery and 24/7 urgent care support line with patients’ safety and convenience in mind.  The company conducts daily an average of 1,500 virtual visits, 700 in-home prescription deliveries and 300 urgency calls through its proprietary Cano at Home program.

Clinical results from patient risk stratification and early course of treatment have been promising. Cano Health’s overall mortality rate in COVID-19 patients is 66% better than that of the comparable Florida population (age and county match). In-hospital deaths are at 10% of hospitalized Cano patients versus 37% of hospitalized patients of a comparable population.

COVID-19 Clinical Course and Investigational Treatments

Cano Health’s Chief Clinical Officer Richard B Aguilar, MD and Chief Executive Officer Marlow B. Hernandez Cano, DO, MPH have collaborated with prominent South Florida medical colleagues in the pre-print publication of Current Understanding of COVID-19 Clinical Course and Investigational Treatments (April 24, 2020; medRxiv).

In response to a lack of unified or standard approach, the paper presents the first evidence-based recommendations for individualized treatment for COVID-19, based on an exhaustive review of clinical reports and scholarly articles from around the world.

Findings from the study show that COVID-19 progresses through three distinct stages; beginning at the time of infection (Stage I); sometimes progressing to pulmonary involvement (Stage II, with or without hypoxemia); and less frequently to systemic inflammation (Stage III).

In addition to modeling the stages, the paper also presents a treatment algorithm which considers age, comorbidities, clinical presentation, and disease progression in order to suggest drug classes or treatment modalities.

Dr. Hernandez stated: “Very proud to have co-authored this paper. The more we know about COVID-19, the more lives we can save. Although treatments will change, what is certain from our research and clinical experience is that early individualized intervention is the key to best outcomes.”

Link to the full article: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.19.20071548v1

About Cano Health
Cano Health, LLC operates 46 primary care centers and several pharmacies in Florida that specialize in primary care for older adults. As part of its care coordination, the enterprise provides sophisticated, high-touch population health management programs including patient-centric programs such as home visits, telehealth, transition of care, and high-risk & complex care management. Cano Health’s personalized patient care and proactive approach to wellness and preventive care sets it apart.

Media Contact
Barbara Ferreiro
305.790.6731
bferreiro@canohealth.com