PHOENIX, Feb. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Istios Health, a physician-enablement company, today announced its expansion into nephrology through partnerships with three independent practices in the Northeast: Central Kidney Care Group and Teredesai McCann & Associates in Pennsylvania, and Central Mass Nephrology in Massachusetts.
The expansion builds on Istios Health’s established infectious disease network and extends the company’s care-and-research infrastructure into chronic kidney disease and related renal conditions.
Istios Health integrates virtual specialty care and clinical research through its proprietary Istios Navigator™ platform. The platform embeds tele-specialty services, standardized clinical workflows, and structured data capture directly into routine specialty practice, allowing physicians to provide inpatient consults, outpatient virtual visits, and longitudinal disease management while also participating in clinical trials and real-world evidence (RWE) initiatives within the same care environment.
Navigator is supported by an RWE technology layer that captures longitudinal clinical data across care settings. By combining ongoing patient management with structured data collection, the platform enables outcome tracking, treatment adherence monitoring, and observational research alongside traditional clinical trials. Care delivery, clinical research, and RWE generation function as a coordinated, continuous model.
Infectious disease and nephrology, similar to rheumatology and endocrinology, are primarily cognitive specialties centered on diagnosis, medical decision-making, and longitudinal management rather than procedures. As a result, many encounters can be delivered effectively through virtual care. At the same time, participating practices maintain physical clinic locations, enabling patients to receive in-person evaluation, infusion therapy, laboratory monitoring, and study visits when needed. This hybrid network supports both ongoing patient care and research participation across virtual and site-based settings.
Applying a Proven Approach
Istios Health previously implemented this care-integrated model in infectious disease, where its network supports hospital consults, outpatient telehealth encounters, and post-acute management while facilitating participation in clinical studies and RWE programs. The nephrology partnerships extend this same operational framework to kidney disease.
“Historically, specialty care delivery and clinical research have operated in parallel systems,” said Nikos Nikolopoulos, Co-Founder and CEO of Istios Health. “By integrating virtual specialty care, clinical research, and RWE inside everyday clinical practice, we improve access for patients while strengthening recruitment, retention, and longitudinal outcomes understanding for sponsors.”
Each partner practice remains independently owned and physician-led while leveraging shared infrastructure, including tele-specialty deployment, coordinated care workflows, research operations support, and structured data capture.
“Partnering with Istios allows us to expand nephrology access while maintaining our commitment to high-quality patient care,” said Dr. Ross Betts of Central Kidney Care Group.
“This collaboration strengthens our ability to support hospitals and manage patients longitudinally while contributing to clinical advancement,” said Dr. Matt Pesacreta of Teredesai McCann & Associates.
“Integrating research into routine care benefits both patients and innovation,” said Dr. Ashish Verma of Central Mass Nephrology.
Istios Health plans to continue expanding its nephrology footprint into additional markets throughout 2026 as part of its broader multi-specialty strategy.
About Istios Health
Istios Health is a physician-enablement platform that integrates virtual specialty care, longitudinal patient management, clinical research, and RWE generation. Through its Istios Navigator™ platform, the company connects inpatient consults, outpatient care, and clinical discovery within a unified operational model across infectious disease and nephrology.
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