My husband is a recent Fresenius home dialysis patient. He works at a university three hours away, and carrying the heavy travel suitcase down a flight of stairs is dangerous and scary.
Frenesius so far denies us another machine.
Where might we rent one for 9 months?
Did this come up at all when he was in training? What did his training nurse say then? I assume that your husband uses the NxStage HD machine since it’s the only HD machine that is “transportable.” How often does he need to transport the machine back and forth? Could he get someone to help him transport it up and down the stairs? I assume his dialysis schedule and work schedule make it impossible to do his treatments at one location. As far as I know Medicare and/or other insurance will only cover one machine per patient. I’ve never heard of anyone having two machines in two different locations. I assume he’s asked his home training nurse or the clinic manager about a second machine. Has he contacted NxStage to ask if it’s possible to rent a second machine for a period of 9 months and pay privately for it? If they will do that for him, will he be able to transport supplies to the second location or would he need supplies delivered to both locations? His clinic may not be happy about that as it may cost his clinic more to have delivery to two different locations for 9 months. I’d also ask how NxStage would service the second machine and what the cost to you would be for that.
If he could do peritoneal dialysis, the Baxter and Fresenius PD machines are lighter weight and easier to transport. It would require transporting PD fluids and other supplies or having them shipped to his location were he teaches.