Renal Business Today News

Satellite WellBound Opens New Self-Care Dialysis Center in Houston

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:24:30 PDT

HOUSTON—Satellite Healthcare announced Nov. 5 that it has opened WellBound of Houston, which is its 16th self-care dialysis center. The goal of the center is to provide chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with education about kidney disease and early-stage wellness education plus self-care dialysis therapies. This is the company's first home dialysis ...(331 words)

Fresenius Acquires Health IT Services Group, Acumen nEHR

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:09:57 PDT

WALTHAM, Mass.—Fresenius Medical Care North America announced Nov. 6 that it has purchased Nashville-based Health IT Services Group (HITSG) and its portfolio of products including Acumen nEHR, a nephrology-specific electronic health record. Acumen nEHR is a Web-enabled application designed by nephrologists. It provides physician practices with a clinical system integrating ...(201 words)

Higher Phosphorus Levels Raise Heart Disease Risk

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:57 PDT

WASHINGTON—Higher levels of phosphorus in the blood are linked to increased calcification of the coronary arteries— a key marker of heart disease risk, according to a study appearing online Nov. 5 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. "This may help to explain why even early-stage chronic ...(362 words)

Worsening Kidneys Linked to Risk of Heart Failure

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:00 PDT

WASHINGTON— Declining kidney function is linked to a higher risk of heart failure, heart attack, peripheral arterial disease, and early death in individuals with or without kidney disease, according to a pair of studies appearing online Nov. 5 in the Journal of the American Society Nephrology. The findings indicate that ...(475 words)

Kidney Patients’ Heart Health is Getting Better

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:59:21 PDT

NEW YORK— Kidney disease patients’ heart health showed signs of major improvement between 1997 and 2007, according to U.S. Renal Data Systems 2009 Annual Data Report. Over that decade, the incidence of congestive heart failure, in which the heart loses the ability to pump the blood efficiently, fell by 17 ...(400 words)

Affiliated Dialysis Buys Chicago Nursing Home Dialysis Business

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:21:40 PDT

CHICAGO—Affiliated Dialysis Centers LLC said Nov. 3 that it has reached an agreement to purchase a nursing home dialysis business in the Chicago market. The purchase, which closed Nov. 1, includes 14 locations that serve nearly 200 patients, who will be integrated into the company’s existing nursing home dialysis program. ...(422 words)

DaVita Appoints New VP, General Counsel and Secretary

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:14:27 PDT

DENVER— DaVita Inc. announced Nov. 3 that Kim Rivera will join the dialysis provider as vice president, general counsel and secretary. In her new role, Rivera will report to DaVita’s chairman and CEO Kent Thiry. Rivera has more than 15 years of experience in corporate law, litigation and compliance, according ...(143 words)

Company Introduces Medical Text-Confirmation Service

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:43:07 PDT

LEHI, Utah—A patient-communication company, Smile Reminder, this week introduced text confirmations, and claims to be the first company to offer this service to the healthcare market. Smile Reminder allows healthcare providers to send customized texts and e-mails to patients to remind them of future appointments. Smile Reminder's text confirmation feature ...(169 words)

Patients See Kidney Transplantation as ‘Last Resort’

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:32:45 PDT

NEW YORK, N.Y.—Original research, published in the November issue of the American Journal of Nursing (AJN), found that 60 percent of non-transplanted patients with kidney disease perceive transplantation as a “last-resort” option. This is despite the fact that those who receive kidney transplants before starting dialysis have lower rates of ...(370 words)

States Accuse Amgen of Illegal Kickbacks

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:03:15 PDT

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.—Leaders of 14 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit Friday accusing Amgen of engaging in illegal kickbacks to promote sales of its anemia drug Aranesp, The New York Times reported. The lawsuit alleges that Amgen gave free samples to doctors by including small extra amounts ...(136 words)