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Ellmers Visits Angier Dialysis Center
The Dunn Daily Record - "We believe that over time if we can come up with a cure for these diseases, we will save money," Ellmers said.
Photo by Tyler Douglas | The Daily Record Staff
Ellmers Visits Angier Dialysis Center
By Tyler Douglas
“We believe that over time if we can come up with a cure for these diseases, we will save money,” Ellmers said. Kidney dialysis is a serious matter. Facilities that house the whirring, beeping machines that act as mechanical organs see thousands upon thousands of patients each day in the United States. In North Carolina alone, nearly 16,000 residents received dialysis treatments in 2014. More than 3,300 new cases of kidney failure were reported that same year. A large portion of those patients received dialysis treatments at a Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) facility, which has just more than 100 locations in the state. Wednesday, Fresenius administrators were excited to welcome U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers to their Angier facility for a brief tour and round-table discussion on the status of kidney disease treatment in the United States and HR 1130 — a bill currently being considered by legislators in Washington, D.C., to open up funding and collaborative efforts for chronic kidney disease research. “It’s a disease that doesn’t get a lot of press because we do a good job taking care of the patients and while they are on dialysis they can live normal lives. But what this bill is designed to do is increase funding for research,” explained FMC Regional Vice President for Eastern North Carolina Jeff Perritano. Mr. Perritano; David Wells, FMC director of operations; and Perry Buchalter, vice president of strategic development, were chatting inside the Angier facility’s conference room prior to the arrival of Rep. Ellmers. “Right now, we’re talking about $30 per person on dialysis per year goes toward research — that is not very much. As an industry, we’ve been working diligently to improve the quality of health for patients when they come here. In the last five years, we’ve reduced mortality rates by about 20 percent,” continued Mr. Perritano. “The other important thing is, these patients can’t sustain life without having these treatments. Once they need dialysis it becomes essential to living,” agreed Mr. Buchalter For many, dialysis is a necessary step while waiting for a kidney transplant. However, the average wait time is seven years in North Carolina, said Mr. Wells, and some patients with other complicating health issues opt to simply remain on dialysis and forgo the transplant list. “Patients are living longer on dialysis, which is a good thing, but we’re looking for ways to improve the research leading into it, so we can hopefully stave off the need for dialysis when the kidneys fail completely,” he said. FMC opened its Angier facility in the spring of 2012. In the United States, the company owns and operates around 2,300 facilities. There are seven FMC dialysis centers in Rep. Ellmers’ district — North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District — that treat around 750 patients, according to Mr. Perritano. “Rep. Ellmers has been a good supporter of health care. With her background as a nurse, she understands the processes. We want her to see what really goes on in these facilities and what we’re doing for her constituents,” he said. “The congresswoman has been a big supporter of dialysis patients, especially in her district. She’s been very visible in her support. This will be the fourth center that is in my area that she has visited to talk with staff and patients,” added Mr. Wells. Rep. Ellmers arrived around 10:30 a.m. and promptly met with staff, shaking hands and exchanging greetings before heading back to the dialysis treatment area to speak with patients. Going from chair to chair, Rep. Ellmers spoke with each patient — asking them about their treatments and their thoughts on the FMC facility. Each responded with a glowing review of the staff. She spoke with patients like Angier resident Georgia Witt, who told the congresswoman she had been on kidney dialysis for a year, and Larry Harrington from Coats, who decided to get treatment after the death of a cousin who declined dialysis. “I always try to come out and visit the dialysis units and I haven’t been to this one. I wanted to make sure during this August work time that I made a visit out here,” she said, sidestepping into an office for a quick interview. “Most importantly, some of the issues that we’ve worked on in Washington over this Congress have been insuring the funding for Medicare for physicians,” she added. “Year after year we have always had to come up with additional funding to fill that gap and now that has been addressed with major policy changes. This is the first Medicare entitlement reform in over 20 years.” According to Rep. Ellmers, the key to lowering health care cost is to examine and bolster the actual health care itself — increase funding, streamline the process of drugs through the FDA, streamline the process of vaccines. “We believe that over time if we can come up with a cure for these diseases we will save money,” she said. “When it comes to dialysis for these patients, they are receiving excellent care. Medicare is essentially the payment component to that — we have to ensure these patients can continue to get that good care. But at the same time, look outside of the system and make sure we’re enhancing the ability to look for the answers,” continued Rep. Ellmers, referencing HR 1130. “I like to get an update. We try to be on top of everything as you can imagine, but (patients and doctors) live with these decisions coming out of Washington. I like to try to update them on the things that we’re working on and if there are any issues at the forefront they’re working on — I can start working on those.”
Renee Ellmers, a Dunn Republican, represents North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District - which includes Fort Bragg.
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Congresswoman Renee Ellmers serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is She represents the Second District of North Carolina which includes all of Fort Bragg.
ellmers.house.gov | 202.225.4531 |
