Renal Business Site Wide Content Feed

NxStage, DaVita Agree to Supply Deal

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:18:00 GMT

LAWRENCE, Mass.—NxStage Medical and DaVita have entered into new agreements covering the supply of home, critical care and in-center products.

Renal Ventures Names New President, CEO of Infusion Subsidiary

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:14:00 GMT

LAKEWOOD, Colo.—Renal Ventures Management announced that Greg Meadows has joined the company as the president and CEO of RV Infusion Partners, which is a subsidiary of Renal Ventures Management.

Fresenius Wins Patient Case Management Awards

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:12:00 GMT

WALTHAM, Mass.—Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) has been recognized for outstanding health care case management with two “Case In Point” Platinum Awards from Dorland Health, the publisher of Case In Point magazine.

ISNTT, Dialysis Education Services Partner to Create Biomedical Technicians Study Guide

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:00:00 GMT

BELLFLOWER, Calif.—The International Society for Nephrology Technicians and Technologists (ISNTT) and Dialysis Education Services, LLC (DES) have formed a partnership to produce a new writing, Study Guide for Biomedical Technology.

Senators Ask Medicare to 'Not Gut' Services for Kidney Failure

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:54:00 GMT

WASHINGTON—Bi-partisan members of the Senate Finance Committee and Chairman of the Budget Committee urged Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Marilyn Tavenner in a May 17 letter to “exercise caution” in implementing provisions of a new law that affects provision of dialysis care.

Study Suggests New Source of Kidneys for Transplant

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:51:00 GMT

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Nearly 20 percent of kidneys that are recovered from deceased donors in the U.S. are refused for transplant due to factors ranging from scarring in small blood vessels of the kidney’s filtering units to the organ going too long without blood or oxygen. But, what if instead of being discarded, these organs could be “recycled” to

U.S. Renal Care Pays $7.3 million to Settle Billing Fraud Case

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:49:00 GMT

BALTIMORE—U.S. Renal Care has agreed to pay $7.3 million to the federal government to settle a whistleblower lawsuit brought by a nurse that alleged a company U.S. Renal Care acquired, Dialysis Corporation of America (DCA), overcharged Medicare for years for an anemia drug used to treat dialysis patients, according to a news release from Phillips

Pentec Recalls Certain Prescription Therapies for Renal Patients

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:45:00 GMT

BOOTHWYN, Pa.—Pentec Health, Inc. has decided to initiate a limited, voluntary recall of in-date nutritional prescriptions for renal patients due to lack of sterility assurance associated with one of its laminar flow hoods used in compounding.

Fresenius Ready to Provide Care for Patients During Storm Season

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:39:00 GMT

WALTHAM, Mass. — With construction crews still repairing damage from last year’s catastrophic Hurricane Sandy and residents of Moore, Okla. just starting to deal with the tragic aftermath of Monday's devastating tornado, the importance of being prepared for natural disasters has never been more apparent. That’s especially true with the 2013

RBT+ June 2013

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:50:00 GMT

Issues such as meaningful use and ICD-10 are hot topics in any healthcare field. In the latest June Digital Issue, RBT digs deep into the three hot topics that are a focus within any dialysis organization. Highlights of the issue: ICD-10 – Transition-Preparing for the upcoming change from ICD-9 HIPPA – How to keep your staff HIPPA compliance up

CDC Protocols Cut Dialysis Bloodstream Infections in Half

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:21:00 GMT

ATLANTA—Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released results of its Dialysis Bloodstream Infection Prevention Collaborative showing a 32 percent decrease in overall bloodstream infections and a 54 percent decrease in vascular access-related bloodstream infections after CDC prevention guidelines were used.

Robotic Transplant an Option for Obese Kidney Patients

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:27:00 GMT

CHICAGO—Obese patients who received robotic kidney transplants had fewer wound complications than patients who received traditional “open" transplant surgery, according to surgeons at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System.

Nationwide Labs Launches New Site, Products

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:16:00 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Nationwide Laboratory Services (NLS) this week launched a new company website. Customers can use the website as a portal to launch all NLS applications, including “Integrity," which is the new suite of company products that will replace E3.

DaVita’s Patient Pathways Wins Award for Discharge Planning

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:22:00 GMT

DENVER—DaVita, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. (DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services, today announced that the company’s subsidiary, Patient PathwaysSM, received the Dorland Health “Case In Point" Platinum Award for best Discharge Planning program in the United States.

Have a Berry Good Plan to Get What You Want

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:30:00 GMT

Our local farmer’s market has a stand with the most inviting raspberries I think I’ve ever seen. Raspberries can be rather time-sensitive, that is, if you don’t eat, freeze or preserve them real soon, they will rot. This week I decided to buy a pint of them. The day was a hot one, so I whisked them home and set them on the kitchen table in

Apollo, Fresenius Partner on Care Management for ESRD Patients

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:16:00 GMT

GLENDALE, Calif., and WALTHAM, Mass.—Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc., a physician-driven integrated healthcare delivery company, and Fresenius Medical Care, North America's largest provider of kidney care services, announced today that ApolloMed's subsidiary, ApolloMed ACO (Accountable Care Organization), is teaming with Fresenius to provide

RSN Invites Kidney-Disease Patients to Enter Essay Contest

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:14:00 GMT

GLENDALE, Calif.—The Renal Support Network (RSN), a nonprofit, patient-focused, patient-run organization that provides nonmedical services to those affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD), encourages people with kidney disease to let their voices be heard by entering the 11th Annual RSN Essay Contest.

Dialysis Groups Make Study Guide for Biomed Techs

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:00:00 GMT

NEW YORK, N.Y.—The International Society for Nephrology Technicians and Technologists (ISNTT) and Dialysis Education Services, LLC (DES) have formed a partnership to publish, "Study Guide for Biomedical Technology." Mike Morales, CEO of DES will head up a committee of experts in the field to produce the study guide.

OIG: CMS Could Save Millions by Adjusting ESRD Bundle for Anemia Drugs

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:50:00 GMT

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services could have saved $529 million if the end-stage renal disease payment bundle had been adjusted to reflect current utilization of anemia management drugs, the Office of Inspector General concluded this week in a new report.

Slide Show: Dialysis Anemia Trends

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:31:00 GMT

The following analyses are selected excerpts from the full report and are presented across all respondents. Other subgroup analyses such as by practice setting, dialysis modality, and size of dialysis organization are not presented. Customized analyses upon request.