Fresenius Medical Care Launches UFComplete, a Collaborative Fluid-Management Program for Congestive Heart Failure Patients
October 23 2012 - 3:30PM
Business Wire
Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), the nation’s
leading network of dialysis facilities, today announced the launch
of UFComplete, a complete fluid-management program for congestive
heart failure (CHF) patients. The program – which combines
clinically proven ultrafiltration (UF) therapy with cost-effective
home monitoring and education initiatives – will be administered by
FMCNA’s highly trained multidisciplinary staff in collaboration
with hospitals’ own physicians and nurses.
Each year, nearly 5 million Americans are hospitalized with CHF
– a condition in which patients’ weakened hearts move blood through
their bodies more slowly than normal, causing excess fluid to build
up in the arms, legs, ankles, feet, lungs or other organs. CHF is
one of the most common reasons for admission to U.S. hospitals,
often requiring lengthy and costly stays, and half of those
patients are readmitted within six months of their initial
discharge.
UF therapy has been shown to slowly and safely lower patients’
excess salt and water levels when conventional diuretic drug
treatments fail. It is supported by more than 60 years of published
data and randomized clinical trials, and is endorsed by leading
heart failure experts.
FMCNA’s innovative UF therapy program builds upon its
industry-leading dialysis expertise and inpatient programs with
more than 1,000 hospitals nationwide to provide cost-effective UF
treatments that significantly improve patient outcomes, reduce
hospital admissions and length of stay, and help hospitals avoid
financial penalties and the need for capital expenditures.
As part of UFComplete, after patients are discharged, they
continue to receive three months of follow-up services including
daily electronic weight reporting and 24-hour nurse phone support.
Clinicians receive live alerts of patient non-compliance or heart
failure symptoms, giving them the opportunity to intervene and
treat patients earlier. FMCNA also works with hospital staff on
educational programs encouraging patients to avoid salt, exercise
regularly and take their medications daily.
“We understand that treating heart failure can be both
challenging and costly, which is why we created the UFComplete
program to help reduce hospital readmissions and length of stay,”
said Dr. John Wigneswaran, Vice President of Market Development and
head of FMCNA’s UFComplete fluid-management program. “With the
added benefits of our new UFComplete program, Fresenius Medical
Care looks forward to making a real difference in treating a
disease that affects millions of Americans and creates an enormous
burden on our healthcare system.”
The UFComplete program offers an à la carte menu that can be
tailored to fit the needs of each hospital through a customized
service contract, which may include UF devices, filters and
ancillary materials; skilled nurses for device setup, take down and
flowchart review and home monitoring services; and physician
oversight and management. FMCNA also is partnering with the
American Association of Heart Failure Nurses and the
Cardiometabolic Health Congress to raise CHF patients’ awareness of
recommended lifestyle modifications.
For more information about this program, call toll-free at
855-362-4383 or email UFComplete@fmc-na.com.
About Fresenius Medical Care
Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE: FMS) is the world’s leading
company devoted to patient-centered renal therapy. Through more
than 3,119 clinics in North America, Europe, Latin America,
Asia-Pacific and Africa, we provide kidney dialysis treatments to
approximately 253,000 patients worldwide. We are also the world’s
leading maker of dialysis products, such as dialysis machines,
dialyzers and related disposable products. Chronic kidney failure
is a condition that affects more than 2.1 million individuals
worldwide. For more information about the company’s more than 2,100
U.S. dialysis facilities, visit www.ultracare-dialysis.com (in
English and Spanish). For more information about Fresenius Medical
Care, visit www.fmc-ag.com or www.fmcna.com.
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