Practice Management

WASHINGTON— Healthcare in the United States is expensive, but its continued funding is necessary as it also is a major contributor to the economy and can better lives, according to an essay in the June issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology. Healthcare costs will rise as the U.S. population increases. In order to curb these costs, government ...

WALTHAM, Mass.—The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) has approved Fresenius’s Acumen ambulatory electronic health record software, according to the dialysis provider. “Fresenius Medical Care is thrilled to have exclusive rights to bring Acumen to the market,” said J. Michael Lazarus, chief medical officer and senior executive vice president, Fresenius Medical Care North America. “CCHIT’s ‘seal of approval’ validates that ...

IN OUR FIRST ARTICLE we noted that in the greater healthcare arena, much has been said about patient satisfaction and its overall beneficial effects: including, but not limited to, better clinical outcomes, more patient referrals, increased market share, higher hospital occupancy, greater leverage when negotiating with managed care providers, lower frequency of malpractice claims, higher clinical staff morale, and increased ...

IS THE ESRD PROVIDER community trapped in a flawed delivery system that benefits a few large organizations at the expense of the small dialysis provider? Given that Amgen has the power to unilaterally set pricing for Epogen (EPO), the question is, will Amgen ever level the playing field for these independent dialysis facilities? I speak with a lot of independent ...

Shire Pharmaceuticals has launched On Track, a program designed to improve adherence to disease management regimens dialysis patients with hyperphosphatemia, or elevated levels of phosphorus in the blood. On Track was designed to provide resources to patients, healthcare professionals (HCPs) and renal care teams that can help them identify “real world” solutions to adherence-related challenges.Approximately half of all end-stage renal ...