BROOKLYN, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dialyze Direct, the nation’s leading provider of home hemodialysis services in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), heralds the American Heart Association’s (AHA) recent endorsement of home dialysis therapies, including the more frequent hemodialysis (MFD) model of care, in its report, “Cardiovascular Effects of Home Dialysis Therapies.” The report encapsulated many of the key research findings that informed the design of Dialyze Direct’s onsite, staff-assisted home dialysis model of care designed to address the challenges of caring for medically complex patients residing in or undergoing rehabilitative and restorative therapies in an SNF.
The report, authored by 12 cardiologists and nephrologists, concluded that more physiologic dialysis, such as the MFD model – when compared with the traditional thrice-weekly in-center treatment – can lend to significantly improved outcomes for patients suffering from end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), who are up to 20 times more likely to experience cardiovascular-related mortality than the general population. As noted in the report, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in patients with ESKD. MFD, particularly effective in managing fluid and its cardiovascular risk, powerfully addresses these issues.
“The ability to provide patient-centric care utilizing an MFD model provides dialysis patients the opportunity to live life to their optimal level,” said Alice Hellebrand, chief nursing officer and senior vice president of education for Dialyze Direct. “The need for innovative care is fundamental to the MFD treatment regimen, and our ability to provide MFD to this frail and largely unrecognized patient group brings professional satisfaction to the clinical staff and optimum outcomes for the patients we serve.”
Just this year, Dialyze Direct’s medical professionals validated a new application of MFD for the elderly and frail SNF population with ESKD. The results, published in Hemodialysis International, demonstrated a marked reduction in post-dialysis recovery time (DRT) for these medically complex patients receiving MFD. Shorter DRT can have a significant impact on patients by both improving the day-to-day quality of life and permitting more engagement in rehabilitation and restorative therapies.
“MFD is at the core of Dialyze Direct’s patient-centric approach to dialysis treatment when a patient exhibits comorbidities that deem it medically necessary. By applying one of the most advanced forms of more physiologic dialysis, MFD provides a more effective and gentler treatment for the very complex patient population residing in nursing homes,” said Allen Kaufman, chief medical officer at Dialyze Direct. “Patients receiving MFD in the nursing home setting experience longer life, fewer hospitalizations, gentler dialytic treatments and substantially faster post-DRT. By eliminating transportation and improving clinical outcomes that include fewer medications and hospitalizations, overall cost of providing care is substantially lower than the traditional dialysis care model. The time patients save with onsite, gentler treatment is far better spent on rehabilitation, restorative, family and social activities. At Dialyze Direct, we are committed to preventing patients from losing years from life and life from years.”
The full report from the AHA can be found here. The Hemodialysis International report can be found here.
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 the next 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 pioneered significant changes to the existing treatment model for dialysis patients in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), in which many of the most medically challenging subsets of dialysis patients reside, and has grown to become the nation’s largest provider of home dialysis in the SNF setting. Dialyze Direct’s innovative staff-assisted home hemodialysis treatment model entails a gentler, personalized treatment plan comprised of meticulously crafted protocols designed to tackle the unique fluid management challenges of geriatric dialysis patients, resulting in increased overall patient health and reduced hospitalizations while substantially decreasing costs for payers. Dialyze Direct currently operates in 14 states with new operations launching soon in additional states.
