RMS Lifeline Opens Four (4) Dialysis Vascular Access Centers in Georgia, Kansas, Michigan and Texas
McGaw Park, IL, February 19, 2003 — RMS Lifeline Inc., announced today that it has opened four new dedicated end-stage renal disease (ESRD) dialysis access centers . RMS Lifeline provides a turnkey program for managing vascular access centers and through its management service agreements now operates 12 throughout the United States. The newly opened centers are being managed through agreements with:
In addition to the center openings, RMS Lifeline has signed an agreement with San Antonio Kidney Disease Center, a 19-physician nephrology practice that manages approximately 900 dialysis patients. “RMS Lifeline will be instrumental in helping to improve vascular access for our dialysis patients,” said Terrance Fried, MD, practice president. “It also will allow us to expand the breadth of our services, while reducing overall ESRD costs for payers. Importantly, it will accomplish this by making vascular access procedures more convenient and accessible to our patients.” The new center will open in the summer of 2003.
RMS Lifeline manages the largest network of dedicated vascular access centers that are specifically designed to address the unique access-related needs of ESRD patients, such as ensuring optimal blood flow for dialysis treatments. The other centers are located in Baltimore, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Detroit (2), San Diego, Riverside, CA, and Tyler, TX. Through the RMS Lifeline program, nephrologists, radiologists, and vascular surgeons provide focused vascular access care, which includes performing angioplasty and thrombectomy procedures for the end-stage renal disease patient. This results in fewer missed dialysis treatments and superior outcomes such as a reduction in medical complications and improved patient satisfaction, which in turn yields better patient care at a lower cost to the health care system. Over 13,000 vascular access procedures were performed in Lifeline managed centers during 2002.
Vascular access-related problems are the primary reason for hospitalization of end-stage renal disease patients. A nephrologist-led access care program coupled with a vascular access center can improve vascular access outcomes.[1] Twenty to twenty-five percent of all ESRD costs result from vascular access issues.
More than 300,000 people in the United States, or just over one in 1,000 Americans, are being treated for ESRD, which occurs when the kidneys lose function. More than 80 percent are undergoing hemodialysis, which requires vascular access for the treatments. During hemodialysis, blood is removed from the body through a needle inserted into a blood vessel, which is the vascular access point. The blood is then pumped through a machine containing a filtering system that cleans the blood and returns it back to the body.
RMS Lifeline is committed to assisting medical practices deliver improved clinical outcomes and quality of life for patients through optimized vascular access care.