Lessons learned for better healthcare after the pandemic
By Rice Powell, CEO and Chairman of Fresenius Medical Care
Renal patients can benefit from modern treatment and digital care solutions
The Covid-19 pandemic has created a number of urgent and extraordinary challenges for healthcare providers, and as an industry leader in kidney care, Fresenius Medical Care is being asked what we are doing for patients during this difficult time.
Our critical mission is to continue ensuring that renal patients in the U.S. and around the world receive optimal care – safely. Since January, in anticipation of Covid-19, we have been putting measures in place to make sure that happens. These include the further strengthening of hygienic measures at our more than 4,000 clinics globally to ensure that during the crisis patients can continue to receive the dialysis treatment they need. In addition, we are supporting all our U.S. direct patient care teams with childcare and eldercare stipends, as well as supplemental pay. For months now, Fresenius Medical Care employees have been working tirelessly to ensure that our patients receive their life-sustaining dialysis treatments. I cannot thank them enough.
In the U.S. alone, half a million people suffer from chronic kidney failure – one in three adults is at risk – and need dialysis or a transplant to survive. At Fresenius Medical Care we are conscious of our responsibility to all kidney patients – not just those in our own clinics: Since March we have offered isolation capacity for treating dialysis patients who are – or may be – Covid-19 positive, and recently we joined with government and other dialysis providers to expand that offer. Our company has set up a National Intensive Renal Care Reserve, which is providing additional dialysis machines to meet hospitals’ suddenly increased need to provide dialysis treatment for the many Covid-19 patients who have suffered acute kidney injury.
Looking forward, this crisis underscores the need for innovation, agility and flexibility across all industries – especially healthcare. At Fresenius Medical Care, we have greatly expanded our digital, telehealth and home dialysis treatment options to allow physicians to consult patients remotely. And we have activated our partners to find solutions to pressing issues arising from this crisis.
In short, these uncertain times are greatly influencing our overall approach to kidney care and, as Fresenius Medical Care is a global healthcare provider, I’d like to share some learnings and their importance as we look ahead and begin to define the new normal.
Home dialysis must become more widely available
Home dialysis is the best form of care for reducing infection risk and protecting vulnerable patients, and we were in the process of rapidly expanding home treatment well before the coronavirus pandemic. The company announced a major expansion of home dialysis in early 2019 and reported record growth in the number of home dialysis patients last year.
Performing dialysis at home can effectively prevent infections with the coronavirus. And in a world beyond Covid-19, home dialysis will also improve patients’ quality of life in many significant ways, by offering more freedom, flexibility and a greater sense of control over their treatment. This means more time for family, work and other important things in life. As a consequence, home dialysis is the best option for many patients: It fits into their lives and schedules – not the other way around.
Our NxStage System One machine is a fully portable dialysis machine that allows patients to take their treatment and supplies wherever they need to go. It can be used during both waking and sleeping hours and is paired with the Nx2me Connected Health app, which allows patients to plan and track their dialysis schedule and communicate directly with their clinic’s care team. This is life-changing technology.
Patients with chronic kidney failure have three options: in-center dialysis, home dialysis or a kidney transplant. It is critical that patients are informed about the options available to them so they can make the choice best suited to their needs. Research has shown that 82% of dialysis patients would prefer to be treated at home, and the current U.S. administration has set the ambitious goal of shifting 80% of new dialysis patients to homecare or transplant by the end of the next decade.
Regardless of the percentage target, one thing is certain: It is our ambition to make home dialysis a reality for as many patients as possible.
Expanded access to telehealth
There may be reasons why home dialysis is not the right fit for certain patients, but all patients should be able to feel connected to their care team, regardless of the situation. This is why we have also been working to rapidly expand access to telehealth options for our patients, so they can virtually and seamlessly communicate with their nephrologist and care teams. This project has been underway for some time and, combined with waivers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), we have been able to accelerate options in the past month that make it easier to implement and give more patients the opportunity to use it.
Telehealth means that home patients do not need to come to the clinic for monthly check-ins during the pandemic, and instead will do these with their nephrologist virtually. It also means patients who do need to go to a clinic for treatment can remain in closer contact with their care teams from home. Our virtual PatientHub, the patient-facing part of our connected health platform, allows us to provide advice and peace of mind remotely. We have seen a record adoption of virtual visits between patients, care teams and physicians, with more than 80,000 visits logged in the past month.
Solutions-focused collaboration between industry and government
Providing the best possible care takes close collaboration between a team of dedicated, knowledgeable professionals. To ensure that we as an industry are helping create the conditions to provide that care, we need deeper collaboration with government. The Covid-19 pandemic has clearly shown that transparency and communication are key, and our focus needs to be on finding solutions.
Our partners in government have already stepped up in a big way to help support our vulnerable patient population. CMS, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other public health departments have been instrumental in ensuring we can continue to focus on our patients. We have worked with them to create isolation clinics and treatment shifts for at-risk patients, broaden telehealth solutions and reduce administrative burdens to help make our employees’ jobs easier. All of these measures go toward keeping dialysis patients out of the hospital, which helps hospitals to preserve already limited resources and capacity.
It just goes to show that when the pressure is on, problems do get solved. But we need to sustain this kind of collaboration outside of times of crisis as well. We need to look at the systems and processes in place, see if there are areas for improvement, and make changes. This is an integral part of the patient-first mindset that must exist across all players in the industry and government in order to ensure that patients receive the full benefits of innovation and existing technology.
Innovation leads to resilience
Innovation, flexibility and commitment across industry and government, combined with open and transparent communication, is what has allowed Fresenius Medical Care to respond effectively to this crisis. It has shown that we must continue to evolve to prepare for any challenges that come our way in the future. Patient care must leverage the available technologies to build up resilience to the shocks we will inevitably face. Combined with a “patient-first” mindset, this will bring the right solutions to patients as quickly as possible.
Learn more about Fresenius Medical Care
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