Southwestern Health Resources (SWHR) has teamed up with Dialyze Direct to provide “dialysis dens” within several North Texas skilled nursing facilities.
“We learned hospitals in our network were frustrated when recently discharged patients couldn’t find options for dialysis treatment,” explains Mike Beaty, SWHR Network Director for Post-Acute Care. “Through an affiliation with Dialyze Direct, we opened units within skilled nursing facilities and added almost 100 dialysis chairs. Now hospitals have more options for their patients who need care. ”
These extra dialysis chairs allow other community members to find the right care at the right time and places to meet their healthcare needs.
According to the American Kidney Fund, 37 million Americans live with kidney disease, but many may be unaware. In the U.S., a third of Americans are estimated to be at risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD), with half of Americans older than 75 believed to have some kidney impairment.
For fragile patients transitioning from acute care to a post-acute facility such as a skilled nursing facility (SNF), having on-site kidney dialysis can significantly impact the quality of life for those patients managing advanced-stage CKD. Dialysis is essential to perform the task their kidneys can no longer accomplish – cleansing the body of waste and excess fluid and helping maintain the healthy balance of water, salts and minerals necessary to maintain nerve and muscle function.
In some North Texas counties, over 20% of the population is 65 and older, but community resources may not have caught up with the needs of a maturing population. Incorporating on-site dialysis into skilled nursing facilities provides a range of both immediate and long-term benefits:
- No transportation arrangements are needed.
- On-site treatments offer an opportunity to build relationships with on-site teams committed to patient care.
- More seamless coordination of care is possible, such as support from SNF or SWHR dietitians who can assist with dietary adjustments which address chronic disease.
- Improved utilization management (UM) ensures efficient allocation of resources for patients in the network, which ultimately improves quality while reducing total cost, a critical component of the SWHR value-based care approach.
Whether through a provider’s practice or collaboration with skilled nursing facilities, SWHR is always looking to build a better way to care, including a focus on whole-person health.
“SWHR maintains a clinical capabilities directory that lists which SNFs offer dialysis dens. This capabilities directory is updated frequently so hospitals and network providers can quickly review and know where dialysis dens are available for their patients,” Beaty explains. “This coordination of care is good for patients, SNFs and primary care providers responsible for ensuring their patients are receiving safe, effective care in a timely manner.”
About Southwestern Health Resources
Southwestern Health Resources (SWHR) is a patient-centered, clinically integrated network of 31 hospital locations and more than 7000 physicians and clinicians caring for more than 790,000 patients across 16 counties in North Texas. Blending the strengths of Texas Health Resources and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, SWHR offers an unmatched ability to connect individuals with a full spectrum of nationally preeminent clinical care. SWHR is the parent of Care N’ Care Insurance Co., a regional Medicare Advantage health plan serving North Texas.
We at SWHR believe healthcare can be more integrated, accessible and affordable for all. Our purpose: to build a better way to care, together. Our promise: to simplify and empower care, for good.
About Dialyze Direct
Founded in 2015, Dialyze Direct is a leading kidney care innovation company that seeks breakthrough solutions for patients suffering from kidney disease. With a mission to build a new generation of kidney care, Dialyze Direct leverages its leading nephrology specialists to develop new methods and technology to evolve the treatment options nephrologists have at their disposal. Dialyze Direct has pioneered significant changes to the existing treatment model for dialysis patients in skilled facilities (SNF), in which many of the most medically challenging subset of dialysis patients reside and has become the nation’s largest provider of home dialysis in the SNF setting, committed to meticulously crafted protocols designed to tackle the unique fluid management challenges of geriatric dialysis patients. www.DialyzeDirect.com
Sources:
- https://www.kidneyfund.org
- https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001088
- https://www.cdc.gov/kidneydisease/publications-resources/ckd-national-facts.htm
- https://www.healthyntexas.org/indicators/index/view?indicatorId=374&localeTypeId=2
- https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/kidneys-how-they-work#
