The Backstory of the Indigenous Pact and Guardiant Merger
What started as a friendship between two Kurts evolved into what is now Indigenous Pact Community Care.
Kurt Brenkus (l) and Kurt Tamaru (r) at a recent visit to The White House.
On a recent spring night during dinner with each other's families, Kurt Brenkus, founder and CEO of Indigenous Pact PBC, Inc., and Kurt Tamaru, MD, MBA, founder, CEO, and CMO of Guardiant Health, realized the untapped possibilities of combining their unique approaches to healthcare access and equity for under-resourced populations. “When Dr. Tamaru explained the work that he was doing at Guardiant, I knew in an instant that this was the missing piece at Indigenous Pact.”
Indigenous Pact: Purpose Over Profit
Indigenous Pact, a public benefit corporation, was founded to create health equity for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) in one generation. “As Tribes take control of their healthcare through the 638 process,” says Brenkus, “they require systems built for their unique needs.” Indigenous Pact helps by equipping Tribal communities with meaningful tools, connections, technology, and specialty care that increases health and well-being for their people. “Historically, our goal has been to consult with Tribal Nations to ensure each decision is wise, confident, and informed. And now,” says Brenkus, “in our partnership with Guardiant, we deliver a new healthcare model by connecting Tribal health systems to modern, technologically supported care.”
Dr. Tamaru expands on that idea, explaining that Guardiant Health was founded to provide access to care for vulnerable populations. “Although our initial focus was elderly populations, we quickly realized that we could adapt this model of care to any population at risk. And it is well established that the AI/AN community has the largest health disparities and inequities to overcome.”
Guardiant Health: Always-There Care
Dr. Tamaru’s service in the U.S. Navy helped to broaden his thinking of providing care “anywhere, under any circumstance, and at any time,” which is the motto of U.S. military physicians. When he entered civilian practice, Tamaru acted on this thinking, working out ways to deliver care to his patients and community uniquely and effectively. To achieve always-there care, Dr. Tamaru developed one of the first in-home physician visiting programs for a Medicare Advantage plan. Additionally, he collaborated with one of the country’s largest insurance companies to develop performance-incentive and quality care programs to improve the overall care of large populations. His innovation in care delivery continues with ways to expand services in primary care, specialty care, and the use of technology to expand care capabilities.
The Merger
By creating a system for people who, for generations, have not received equitable care, our partnership forges a long-term commitment toward providing health equity. While each company leader originally had their own approach to health equity, they came together in their personal and professional vision of healthcare as community-based, family-aligned, whole-person care. “Too much of healthcare has become transactional and fragmented,” says Dr. Tamaru. “As a result, there is a great deal of inefficiency that negatively impacts overall health and well-being.” Guardiant’s approach aims to resolve the ineffective elements of medicine by drawing from a more traditional time when healthcare was built around the family.
“We combine that mindset with modern technology — instead of having to bring the patient to the provider, we can bring the service to them.”
This model of active connection and continuous care helps patients achieve better outcomes by giving them access to caregivers who otherwise would not be available to them. For Indigenous Pact, the goal is to create a healthcare system that measurably improves health equity and longevity for communities across Indian Country. “We believe health is the starting point for building strong communities,” says Brenkus. “Health equity requires equitable access, equitable experience, and equitable care. It’s not enough to replicate old systems. Working with Dr. Tamaru and Guardiant Health, and now with the creation of Indigenous Pact Community Care, we are changing the culture of healthcare.”
Comprising a group of board-certified physicians, Indigenous Pact Community Care augments primary, mental, social, and specialty care services in rural and urban communities. The dynamic partnership enriches Indigenous Pact’s ability to support Tribal Nations with the medical, mental, and social care their communities require.
