During National Kidney Month, Fresenius Medical Care Celebrates Progress in Helping Patients with Kidney Failure Live Longer
March 05 2015 - 10:40AM
Business Wire
Better Care, Earlier Diagnosis and Treatment of
Related Conditions, are Improving Patients’ Health
Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), the nation’s
leading dialysis provider with more than 2,150 dialysis facilities
nationwide, is celebrating National Kidney Month this March by
recognizing recent progress in helping patients with kidney failure
live longer, while reaffirming its mission to improve the quality
of life of dialysis patients, every day.
Data from the 2014 United States Renal Data System (USRDS)
annual report suggests that while the total number of end stage
renal disease (ESRD) patients in the United States continues to
rise, at least part of that increase is the result of patients
actually living longer. Likewise, the Peer Kidney Care Initiative’s
2014 Dialysis Care & Outcomes report agrees that overall ESRD
mortality rates have declined since 2004, noting that “declining
mortality rates translate to longer lives, as illustrated by
displays of gains in expected remaining life-times and deaths
averted.”
Healthcare experts attribute the increased longevity to earlier
detection and treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and timely
patient referrals to kidney specialists. Better detection and care
of risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension is also
contributing to slower disease progression.
Fresenius Medical Care has made significant achievements in
enhancing the care of patients with kidney failure, including
reducing both patient mortality rates and avoidable
hospitalizations.
FMCNA is helping patients live longer by providing:
Exceptional care and the latest treatment
options: Home dialysis and in-center nighttime dialysis, for
example, can provide health benefits by allowing longer and/or
slower dialysis treatments. This gives patients the option of
having more free time to continue working, or to enjoy their
favorite activities.
Healthy Lifestyles initiatives: These
programs, designed to encourage patients to stay active and follow
a healthy diet, include consultations with renal dietitians and
social workers on staff at each facility. Dietitians help dialysis
patients learn how to eat a healthy diet while strictly limiting
their intake of foods containing high levels of potassium,
phosphorus, and salt, which can be harmful to them. FMCNA also has
a partnership with celebrity chef Aaron McCargo, Jr. to create
delicious dialysis-friendly recipes that inspire patients to enjoy
eating – while staying within their dietary guidelines.
Treatment Options Program (TOPs):
Offered regularly across the country and open to the public at no
cost, these programs provide valuable information about managing
kidney disease. They help CKD patients and their families plan for
and transition more smoothly to dialysis or organ transplants.
Innovative patient research: Through
its global network of medical experts and clinical research, FMCNA
strives to keep patients healthier, whether through more effective
treatment of related conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular
disease, better management of anemia, or promotion of flu shots and
other preventive care.
“Our physicians, nurses and other caregivers are extending the
lives of dialysis patients and reducing hospitalizations by working
as multi-disciplinary teams to provide excellent care both in and
out of the treatment chair,” said Franklin W. Maddux, M.D., FMCNA’s
chief medical officer and executive vice president for clinical and
scientific affairs. “Our patient-centric approach to care and
treatment is designed to help patients with end stage kidney
disease live a better life.”
Dialysis is a life-sustaining process that cleans waste products
from the blood and removes extra fluids when a person’s kidneys
fail. For more information about dialysis facilities near you, call
toll free at 1-888-325-5175. For more information on FMCNA’s
innovative patient care programs and options for treating kidney
failure, please visit
www.ultracare-dialysis.com/treating-kidney-failure.
About Fresenius Medical Care North America
Through its leading network of more than 2,150 dialysis
facilities in North America and vascular access centers,
laboratory, pharmacy and affiliated hospitals and nephrology
practices, Fresenius Medical Care provides renal services to
hundreds of thousands of people throughout the United States,
Mexico and Canada. It is also the continent’s top producer of
dialysis equipment, dialyzers and related disposable products and a
major supplier of renal pharmaceuticals. For more information about
the company, visit www.fmcna.com; for information about patient
services, visit www.ultracare-dialysis.com.
Upward AgencyThea Blum,
1-858-349-5790thea.blum@upwardagency.comorFresenius Medical Care
North AmericaJon Stone, 1-781-699-9704 (Office)Cell:
1-781-392-4680Jonathan.d.stone@fmc-na.com
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