Satellite Healthcare Introduces an Innovative Care Model for People Newly Diagnosed with Kidney Disease Requiring Dialysis

Kidney Care Connection engages, educates and empowers new patients

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Satellite Healthcare, a non-profit, top-rated provider of kidney dialysis and related patient services, announced today the opening of Kidney Care Connection (KCC), a new care model created specifically for individuals who have recently learned they have kidney disease requiring dialysis.

Through its inaugural center, located in Mountain View, Calif., KCC is a first stop for patients, providing them with an innovative and individualized overall experience, focused on their specific needs and concerns, as they begin the process of dialysis and decide which modality is best for them and their families.

The center supports patients as they adjust to the significant life changes at time of starting dialysis. Patients receive dialysis in spacious individual patient rooms (alcoves). The center includes a demonstration kitchen, providing patients an opportunity to learn how to select and prepare safe and healthy meals to support and improve their kidney health.

Patients who start their treatment at KCC will use the same medical equipment they would use in a home setting, and, if they choose to, can transition to dialyzing at home after four to eight weeks. Home dialysis therapies are associated with patient longevity, a higher quality of life, and shorter recovery times after treatment.

“Kidney Care Connection combines the compassionate care and innovation for which we’re known, with the insights we learned through immersive research into what matters most for people who are entering end-stage renal disease,” said Jeff Goffman, Satellite Healthcare Chief Executive Officer. “For many, this is a scary time fraught with unknowns. By involving patients in early education and empowering them directly in their own care, we hope to ease this transition and establish a path for them to succeed at home dialysis treatment.”

Among other approaches, KCC pairs new patients with those who are experienced with dialysis. These experienced patients act as mentors, providing personal insight and perspectives to help new patients make their own care choices. KCC additionally provides telehealth technology so that patients and their physicians can connect conveniently and as frequently as needed.

“Kidney Care Connection was built with input from physicians and patients to address what physicians want for their patients, and what patients told us they need,” said Wael Hussein, MD, Satellite Healthcare’s Chief Medical Officer, Research and Development. “We try to put ourselves in the shoes of our patients and their families by asking, ‘What’s of value to them? What do they need to live well?’ We took this fundamental understanding, validated these concepts by working with patients and physicians, and addressed these questions through Kidney Care Connection.”

KCC represents the latest dialysis innovation for Satellite Healthcare. The company was among the first to move dialysis out of the hospital into freestanding neighborhood clinics and first to introduce centers dedicated to providing home dialysis patients with ongoing support and training.

About Satellite Healthcare

Satellite Healthcare, Inc. has been among the nation's leading non-profit providers of kidney dialysis and related services since 1974 and is dedicated to maintaining a workforce that mirrors its diverse communities. Through its affiliated services, Satellite WellBound, Satellite Dialysis, and Satellite Research, Satellite Healthcare provides unparalleled kidney care services addressing patient wellness education, chronic kidney care management, and personalized clinical services. It focuses on the imperatives of value-based care, high quality, cost management, access to kidney care services, and emphasizing the importance of Home Dialysis therapies.

Satellite Healthcare has more than 95 kidney care and ancillary centers across seven states and partners with prominent integrated care groups, nephrologists, hospitals, and health care systems in the United States, including an innovative joint venture with CVS Kidney Care. Satellite Healthcare’s well-recognized mission of “making life better for those living with kidney disease” includes an enduring commitment to philanthropy and community service, from funding millions of dollars in research grants to sponsoring kidney programs nationwide. For more information, visit satellitehealthcare.com and kidneycareconnection.com.