Just read this and thought everyone would be interested, especially California dialysis pts…http://press.arrivenet.com/bus/article.php/452817.html
WellBound Signs Agreement With Major U.S. Health Plan to Establish Innovative Self-Care Dialysis Program
Distribution Source : PRNewswire
Date : Wednesday - September 22, 2004
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ – WellBound, the first company focused solely on providing the full spectrum of self-care dialysis therapies, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Inc., part of Kaiser Permanente, the largest nonprofit health care organization in the U.S. The agreement will create a new, dedicated self-care dialysis program to support Permanente nephrologists based at Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland Medical Center.
This program will support the entire continuum of self-care dialysis options for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients including peritoneal dialysis and all types of home hemodialysis, while providing Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland nephrologists with the wide-ranging support services and infrastructure necessary for the successful delivery of these therapies.
WellBound will develop and operate the state-of-the-art program in Emeryville, CA. The nephrologists based at Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland Medical Center, which treat over 400 dialysis patients and initiate dialysis treatment for more than 100 new patients each year, will serve as medical director for the newly established self-care dialysis program. In addition, the program will be open to all nephrologists in the surrounding communities.
“We are very pleased to have signed this agreement with Kaiser Permanente, as it represents a critical validation of the WellBound service model and the manner in which WellBound can enhance a nephrology practice’s ability to provide comprehensive support for CKD patients,” said Marc Branson, WellBound’s chief executive officer. “We look forward to collaborating with Kaiser Permanente’s nephrologists to provide the highest level of care and clinical support for their CKD patients.”
As part of its operational model, WellBound provides a high degree of clinical integration with local nephrologists. This approach allows the company to apply its unique self-care dialysis expertise to assist physicians in delivering these therapies with unprecedented support. In doing so, the company offers a full range of medical practice services that directly address the numerous industry pressures affecting existing in-center hemodialysis programs, including the ability to meet the clinical needs of a rapidly expanding CKD patient population. These comprehensive support services are provided by WellBound’s dedicated team of self-care dialysis medical professionals and include dialysis options education for later stage CKD patients, round-the-clock urgent call coverage, and collaborative patient care clinics, among others.
“At Kaiser Permanente, we are committed to providing superior medical care to our patient community,” said Dr. Juan Ordonez of The Permanente Medical Group. “We recognize the importance of self-care dialysis in achieving optimal clinical outcomes and in providing CKD patients with more flexible lifestyles.”
About Self-Care Dialysis
The term self-care dialysis refers to those dialysis therapies which patients are able to self-administer outside the confines of hemodialysis centers, including peritoneal dialysis and all types of home hemodialysis. A rapidly expanding body of clinical research clearly demonstrates that the more frequent, more consistent dialysis associated with self-care provides patients with improved health outcomes such as improved mortality rates, reduced hospitalizations and Rx utilization, as well as significant quality of life advantages including greater convenience, more flexible schedules, and fewer fluid and dietary restrictions.
About WellBound
As the first company focused exclusively on the full continuum of self-care dialysis options, WellBound frees chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients from in-center dialysis treatment regimens by offering multiple, state-of-the-art “self-care” treatment options. The company’s unique expertise in personalized self-care training facilitates a higher quality of life and improved clinical outcomes for CKD patients, while enabling physicians to offer a new, superior level of care. WellBound’s novel approach to the delivery of care and treatment to CKD patients helps overcome the limitations of current dialysis programs by combining exceptional care with the cost-effective use of resources.
The company has established three operational self-care dialysis facilities and is actively engaged in launching a network of regional “Centers of Excellence” designed to deliver the full spectrum of self-care dialysis options, including peritoneal dialysis and all types of home hemodialysis.
WellBound
CONTACT: Marc Branson of WellBound, +1-650-404-3613, or
Stephanie Diaz, +1-415-885-2298, or media, Tim Brons, +1-646-319-8981, both of
Vida Communication, for WellBound