HealthGrades, Fresenius team up for nephrologist-quality reports for patients

GOLDEN, Colo.—Fresenius Medical Care North America and HealthGrades.com have inked a deal that will provide patients free access to physician-quality reports.

Under the agreement, Fresenius will sponsor the physician-quality reports (found on HealthGrades.com) of all its practicing nephrologists, to help those with kidney disease research and select the doctor that is best for them.

The physician-quality reports on HealthGrades.com are designed to help patients research and select a doctor as well as schedule an appointment, according to the Web-based company. Reports include background on the physician’s medical training, board certification, state disciplinary actions, patient-satisfaction ratings, nearby hospital-quality ratings, malpractice judgments (in 15 states) and more.

The nephrologists whose quality reports will be made free to HealthGrades.com visitors will also have the opportunity to add patient-friendly information to their profiles such as practice philosophy, publications in peer-review journals, subspecialties, office hours and insurance plans accepted.

Each HealthGrades physician-quality report typically costs $29.95, but on June 5 HealthGrades.com opened up free access to the full HealthGrades physician-quality report on practicing nephrologists.

On its Website, HealthGrades offers independent quality ratings, medical-cost data and other information to individuals researching care providers. The site includes quality information on 700,000 practicing physicians as well as all 5,000 non-federal hospitals and 16,000 nursing homes in the United States.

More than 5 million patients each month research healthcare providers on the site, according to HealthGrades.com.

“Working with HealthGrades is the most effective way we’ve found of providing educational information to those with kidney disease at the exact moment they are in need—when they are searching for a doctor in their area,” said Mats Wahlstrom, Co-CEO of FMCNA.