CMO looks at ways to put meaning behind ‘quality care’

Fresenius Medical Care chief medical officer Frank Maddux, MD, discusses how he believes dialysis patient care can improve

Editor’s note: Fresenius Medical Care chief medical officer Frank Maddux, MD, recently authored a paper entitled, “Doing more than caring about quality” (Seminars in Dialysis March/April 2016). In an interview with NN&I, we ask him about points made in the paper and how he believes dialysis patient care can improve.

This article is part of NN&I’s 22nd annual dialysis provider ranking. Fresenius Medical Care North America is the largest provider in the United States.

NN&I: You mention “individualized patient care is forthcoming…” Is that possible for a company that provides dialysis treatment for over 180,000 patients?

Frank Maddux, MD: There are ways to use technologies to work toward a more personalized prescription. I think we would still have standardized approaches to the treatment, but we would have opportunities to address the individual’s needs at chairside and adjust the prescription. It is a combination of technology and process, and we can individualize care even in large organizations.

NN&I: In the opening paragraphs of the Seminars article, you say “Advancing the care of patients with severe renal failure has been both a success and a failure” and we need a “roadmap to guide a fundamentally evolved approach.” What can the provider community do better?

Maddux: We have removed renal disease as a cause of death for thousands of individuals. But now, particularly with more interest in value-based care, there is an opportunity to expand beyond just the treatment. As a community, we need to be always pushing the boundaries to make a treatment better, safer. I never think that we are done. There is a lot of room for continued improvement.

Read the full story at Nephrology News