Fresenius Medical Care North America is a stand-alone healthcare company which objective is to focus on delivering quality care to people who have renal (kidney) and chronic conditions. Fresenius Medical Care came about during the 15th century at a pharmacy in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1996, Fresenius USA, Inc. and National Medical Care’s North American business care North America (FMCNA) became the leading dialysis providers and renal product suppliers, and were also listed in the Market in Frankfurt New, York in 1997. The FMCNA and Beth Israel Medical Center both founded the Renal Research Institute (RRI).
Then, the FMCNA bought Spectra Laboratories Inc. which is the largest kidney dialysis lab in the United States. In 2000, the FMCNA began to discontinue the re-use of dialyzers in their clinics. At the time, dialyzers were used as artificial kidneys in place of filter fluids and wastes from a patient’s blood travel through a hemodialyzer. This means other patients were are using the same filter even though it was cleaned and sterilized after each treatment.
In 2003, the FMCNA introduced its Advanced Renal Education program where it introduced Nephrologist and dialysis staff to improve their outcomes and practice. By 2006, Fresenius Health partnered with (FHP), a secondary company of FMCNA, and CMS. This was an organized three year project where the Medicare beneficiaries who were on dialysis can test the effect of disease management on the stages of kidney failure. In 2009, Fresenius RX pharmacy allowed patients to order and receive their medications and supplies from renal pharmacists where pharmacist were trained in treating and counseling patients who had the kidney disease. The year 2010, CMS published the results of the project leading to better health outcomes, and cost of care. By 2011, the FMCNA received American Access care which led to Fresenius Vascular Care helping kidney patient’s access to quality outpatient vascular care.
The FMCNA then purchased Med Spring Urgent physicians to create a network of providers to meet the need for chronically ill patients in 2014. The last report was made in 2016, where the Fresenius Medical Care has 6,008 care system which is a new hemodialysis therapy system. Fresenius is the largest apheresis provider in the U.S in 150 different countries, and has about 450 hospitals with 32,000 annual treatments. In 2017, 50 percent of dialysis machines were purchased from Fresenius which is why it is the leading network of more than 2,200 dialysis facilities, 41 production sites, and 250 research dialysis sites, 3,815 clinics with services for outpatient, cardiac, vascular labs, and urgent care centers.
Fresenius provides care to an estimated of 325, 188 of patients with 111, 263 employees including a revenue of 70,784 billion in euros, which is 20.68 billion is US dollars. The revenue can affect access to its services because it provides the ability for individuals to receive health care services due to the number of dialysis clinics available. Their approach helps to improve not only the outcomes for their patients, but to reduce the total cost of care as well which does not limit the access to healthcare services. On the other hand the cost of dialysis services depends on your health insurance plans, such as individual or financial aid programs in which an individual will qualify for. The insurance an individual can have can either be from an employer which offers better rates, or from the state and federal like government sponsored programs who provides coverage from the government and will pay up to eighty percent of dialysis cost. Private an individual insurance has options of two types where health plans like managed healthcare which has a network of doctors, and indemnity which is used with majority of providers.
Fresenius does not limit the access to services, but instead they are improving healthcare quality, and services. Fresenius is working to reducing the cost with health programs to ensure every patient can receive the best quality treatment. There are programs such as The Treatment Options Program (TOP’s) where it even provides educational services free of charge to patients and their families. In addition, all treatment options are managed by experts who will go over the best options of treatment with you and your family. Fresenius as well offer, services to patients who can receive treatment-in-center, at home, or in a hospital.
Other services include medical dietary, financial, and social services for patients who have kidney failure. Not to mention, the pharmacy services where kidney medication specialist who will work closely with you, and your doctors. Furthermore there is a hotline available where patients can speak to a kidney medication specialist on questions concerning their medications. Fresenius offers a patient free travel service where they will help locate clinics close to your home, schedule treatments, answer questions about your travel, and help with changes with your dialysis facilities. Fresenius Renal Technologies is the leading provider in dialysis products in the U.S. as the market leader Fresenius provides dialysis equipment and products for continuous improvement for dialysis therapy.
The Hemodialysis has a ninety percent of use which Fresenius Renal Technologies produced. Fresenius Optiflux Dialyzers is also widely recommended in North America, and the Crit-Line Monitor which is a technology in fluid management. The Hemodialysis has a tradition of in dialytic monitoring with feedback tools which introduced the 2008T Hemodialysis delivery system. The 2008T machine is the future generations of hemodialyzer delivery systems which will offer instant access to dialysis treatment, and patient medical information. The Dialyzers technology is biocompatible, and Polysulfone which will meet the clinical need of all patients. The dialyzers has been proven by technology, and performance making Fresenius Polysulfone dialyzers the top prescribed in the U.S.
Another technology Fresenius used are bloodlines which is a high performance of bloodlines to meet the demanding clinical needs by delivering accurate blood flow in patients. Last, technology Fresenius Renal Technologies offers is the revolution in dialysate to the market with acede based concentrates, and acetic based concentrates in liquid and dry formulations. Some of the people who work at Fresenius are post-acute provider such as nurses, biomedical technicians, dialysis nurses, dietitians, and home health RN’s. They have inpatient RN’s who perform dialysis treatments on acute patients in a hospital setting. The nurses are responsible for managing and approaching the patient’s treatment plans. Not to mention, Fresenius has travel nurses who will work with different physicians, and nurses from facility to facility.
They also have Information Technologist (IT) who can have an effect on millions of patients. They help to place and improve the solutions for patients, clinic staff, physicians, and business leaders in the company. Trends in healthcare this company is taking advantage of is by having continuous innovative products to improve the dialysis treatments. The worldwide research a development (RD) activities helps to develop products efficiently to advocate the exchange of knowledge and technology. Fresenius intends to deliver innovative competitive products, and to strengthen their focus on other countries as well.
Their mission is to improve the quality of life in every patient, for everyday use to where competitor’s opinions will not be looked at the same. The company makes the health system better due to their improvement in patient outcomes by decreasing the length stay of patients through a program called Therapeutic Apheresis. Apheresis is removing the blood from a patient a patient, or a donor and separating the blood from its components. The program has quality assessment improvement programs that focus on the outcomes of patients. Fresenius home dialysis improves outcomes by improving the quality of life. This means patients will not have to travel to clinics to receive treatment, instead it can be done right in their own home.
With this intention, patients will notice improvements in some of their symptoms, accommodate their schedules, and will even feel good enough to work. Physicians are resulting on home dialysis more to improve health outcomes in patients, these patients want to receive the best quality of life care, and payers want to lower cost as well. Home dialysis lessens hospitals stays, and transportation cost which payers can save on. This trend must continue by educating and encouraging patients to the alternatives of home dialysis.
The kidney disease population will continue to grow, and with home dialysis it will be simpler to balance the budget. In conclusion, the FMCNA is mission is to be the most trusted provider and valued by building an integrated renal disease network and chronic care network throughout the world. Fresenius will continue to seek the best innovative products and technology to improve the quality of care for kidney, and other chronic conditions. Without Fresenius there would not be much access to kidney services due to their clinics all over the world, and costly care for services.
