Fresenius Medical Care North America and DaVita Kidney Care have announced an expanded agreement to make multiple home dialysis technologies available for patients across the USA.
Following this new agreement between the two American companies—which intends to encourage more people living with chronic kidney failure (CKF) to choose home dialysis—patients will have improved access to NxStage home haemodialysis (HHD) machines, dialysis supplies and a connected health platform.
“For patients choosing home dialysis, it can mean more freedom and also active participation in their care, which is why we are always looking for new solutions that ease the burden on our patients,” said Keith Hartman, group vice president for DaVita home modalities.
“We are expanding our use of NxStage HHD machines that have invaluable remote capabilities and connectivity for our patients. By transmitting treatment information, we hope to help identify irregularities and prevent avoidable complications, thus supporting patients’ desire to stay on their treatment of choice longer.”
In addition to the NxStage HHD machines, which Fresenius claims are the first and only truly portable haemodialysis systems cleared for home use in the USA, the expanded agreement will also see more patients gain access to the company’s Nx2me Connected Health platform.
According to Fresenius, this state-of-the-art technology simplifies the collection and sharing of treatment information with dialysis clinics and care teams by accessing treatment information like weight, blood pressure and temperature directly from HDD machines via Bluetooth, and details about medication, answers to health assessment questions and other notes as entered by the patient.
“HHD can be a fantastic clinical option for many patients while also better aligning with their lifestyles,” said Martin Schreiber, chief medical officer for DaVita home modalities. “We are committed to bringing innovative solutions that build on our prior advancements and can help further transform our patients’ experience while treating at home.”
