KidneyTel system helps manage health issues faced by kidney patients

Sep 11 2009

Kidney patients often have a number of serious chronic health issues in addition to their kidney disease. Fresenius Medical Care, the world’s leading renal therapies company, has developed the KidneyTel® system to provide an integrated care solution to assist patients, their families and their providers in managing the full range of health issues that kidney patients face on a daily basis. The KidneyTel system will provide a key link in the creation of a “medical home” for the kidney patient, and will be an enabling technology for nephrologists and dialysis providers in establishing Accountable Care Organizations (ACO’s) for the treatment of kidney patients.

“Dialysis is a life sustaining treatment for the kidney patient, however it is an episodic treatment typically provided three days a week. Support and telehealth monitoring of the dialysis patients’ health condition on non-dialysis days (and every day for the home dialysis patient) is a welcome area for improvement in current clinical practice. Every day attention is the standard of care we would all want for ourselves or a member of our family; and it is exactly what we can now provide with KidneyTel,” commented Robert Farrell, President, Integrated Care Management, Fresenius Medical Care North America.

The KidneyTel system combines home telehealth monitoring device technology with an integrated care management program specifically tailored to the kidney patient. KidneyTel provides interactive daily contact and education with dialysis patients by monitoring health issues through a series of interactive questions on key health risk areas. In addition, KidneyTel collects daily vital signs of blood pressure, weight, and blood glucose. This information is transmitted each day to the KidneyTel IT system and call center. The KidneyTel clinical team is alerted to identified health risks and trends and can determine an appropriate response with patients and their families; while coordinating with their dialysis clinic, nephrologist, and other healthcare providers. The KidneyTel system includes advanced clinical algorithms and care pathways using evidence based medicine.

“Our objective is to keep ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease) patients healthier, out of the hospital, and at home resulting in a better quality of life for patients and reduced cost to their payers. The telehealth platform which KidneyTel utilizes has been deployed in the heart failure, diabetes and chronic disease populations over the past several years with excellent results. In addition, the technology has been a success with kidney patients over the past three years in the Fresenius Medical Care Health Plan (a Medicare Advantage CSNP), within the CMS ESRD Demonstration Project,” stated Stephen McMurray, M.D., Medical Director for the KidneyTel program and Fresenius Medical Care Health Plan.