Lawmakers want to eliminate barriers to adding stations

Mecklenburg County’s 15 dialysis clinics continue to treat a steady stream of patients for kidney failure, prompting health-care providers to respond by adding more stations.

The county is projected to treat 1,593 dialysis patients by the end of the year, an increase of 1,505 served in 2014 and 1,473 in 2013, according to North Carolina’s July 2015 Semiannual Dialysis Report.

Jonathan Stone, spokesperson for Fresenius Medical Care North America, points to a 2012 study from the N.C. Institute of Medicine that shows the state ranked 10th highest in 2010 for those living with end-stage kidney disease. North Carolina also ranked 12th highest for new cases.

“Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a significant issue that affects more than 26 million Americans, and that number is only growing as we face an aging population,” Stone said. “Moreover, CKD is linked to a number of related, increasingly common conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease.”

Bio-Medical Applications of North Carolina (BMA), which operates seven dialysis centers in Mecklenburg County under the Fresenius Medical Care brand, plans to open new clinics in northeast and southwest Charlotte.  

The northeastern center, dubbed FMC Regal Oaks, will consist of 12 dialysis stations. Eight of those stations will come from FMC Matthews on Park Center Drive. Those outgoing stations will be replenished once Regal Oaks is compete, anticipated for around June 2016.

According to state documents, BMA polled patients and found that 39 from Mecklenburg County, including 15 from FMC Matthews, would be willing to transfer to FMC Regal Oaks. Still, BMA projects its 21 stations at FMC Matthews to exceed 100 percent utilization.

“Our goal in North Carolina and throughout the country is to provide patients with access to our dialysis facilities and programs where they need it,” Stone said. “We have made significant investments in our North Carolina operations to create a comprehensive network of 102 dialysis treatment clinics and home dialysis programs.”

DVA Healthcare Renal Care, better known as DaVita, sought to add three dialysis stations by December 2017 to South Charlotte Dialysis Center, bringing the total of the Bannington Road office to 23.

Meeting the demand isn’t as easy as adding a station or opening a new office.

The state requires health-care providers obtain a Certificate of Need (CON) to add health-care facilities, such as dialysis stations. Providers also need permission to transfer dialysis stations to another clinic.

The laws are designed to eliminate economic barriers to quality health care.

“Fresenius Medical Care North America believes that current Certificate of Need regulations promote and help assure quality dialysis care, and we have worked within these regulations to enhance patient access to dialysis care in North Carolina,” Stone said.

State legislators introduced two bills in March that would repeal or amend CON laws.

Republican Rep. Dan Bishop and Democrat Rep. Kelly Alexander, both of Charlotte, are among House Bill 200’s 11 sponsors. The bill would exempt some facilities (not dialysis centers) from going through a CON review.

Senate Bill 702, filed March 26, would repeal CON laws. Five senators sponsored the bill, including District 41 Sen. Jeff Tarte, who represents parts of Matthews and Mint Hill.

Both bills passed on first meeting and moved to committee in March.

The Federal Trade Commission announced July 13 that it was backing House Bill 200, citing competitive concerns and barriers for new companies entering the market.

Elizabeth Young, corporate spokesperson for DaVita, said the company’s priority is patient safety.

“We look forward to bringing our 15 straight years of improved clinical outcomes to the areas which need it most, whether or not they are located Certificate of Need states,” Young said. “In any case, we work closely and cooperatively with the appropriate local and federal regulators.”

...