Fresenius Kidney Care Partners with Biim Ultrasound AS to Improve Patient Experience and Vascular Access for Dialysis
Portable Ultrasound System Expands to Hundreds of Dialysis Centers to Assist Cannulation
WALTHAM, Mass. & NARVIK, Norway – Jan. 13, 2022 – Fresenius Kidney Care, the nation’s leading provider of kidney care services, and Biim Ultrasound AS (Biim), announce an agreement to expand use of Biim’s innovative ultrasound system for assisting needle cannulation prior to dialysis treatment.
Fresenius Kidney Care successfully piloted the use of Biim’s ultrasound system at more than two dozen dialysis centers in 2020 in an effort to improve the patient experience and reduce access failures. The expanded rollout will involve hundreds of additional centers throughout the United States in early 2022. While often used in a hospital setting, ultrasound has not yet been widely or routinely used in outpatient dialysis centers to assist with cannulation.
“Our expanded use of Biim’s technology reflects our commitment to offering the highest level of care for people living with kidney failure and in need of life sustaining dialysis treatment,” said Mike Asselta, President of Fresenius Kidney Care. “The use of ultrasound is a tool we hope will enable our dedicated care teams to further improve the patient experience. In addition, this agreement further supports our commitment to creating value for patients and payors.”
“We have received positive feedback from patients who notice a difference when cannulation is assisted by ultrasound,” said Dr. Jeffrey Hymes, Chief Medical Officer of Fresenius Kidney Care and Executive Vice President, Global Head of Clinical Affairs for Fresenius Medical Care. “The use of ultrasound also has the potential to reduce the incidence of damage to the vascular access that is so critical to patient outcomes.”
Biim is a fast, flexible, cordless ultrasound that has the ability to scan patients and review images in seconds, offering a practical way to enhance decision-making and help improve patient outcomes. The Biim system is easy to operate, with a simple app interface, so that scanning can begin within seconds.
“We are proud and of course very pleased that Fresenius Kidney Care has put its trust in Biim and our products by implementing our ultrasound system as part of their patients’ treatments,” said Rune Nystad, CEO of Biim. “For Biim, this agreement represents a major milestone, and we look forward to our continued partnership.”
Fresenius Kidney Care is committed to further evaluating the impact of using ultrasound to assist with cannulation as this technology is made available to even more patients, including home patients during training. Following additional evaluation of the program, a broader distribution of Biim’s ultrasound system is possible.
INDICATIONS FOR USE
The Biim® Diagnostic Ultrasound System is intended for diagnostic ultrasound imaging for the human body. Specific clinical applications include musculoskeletal, needle guidance, pediatric, peripheral vessel and small organs.
About Fresenius Kidney Care
Fresenius Kidney Care, a division of Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), provides dialysis treatment and support services to more than 200,000 people with kidney disease every year whether in their own homes or at more than 2,600 facilities nationwide. Fresenius Kidney Care’s dedicated teams help address the physical and emotional aspects of kidney disease through personalized care, education, and lifestyle support services. For more information about Fresenius Kidney Care, visit freseniuskidneycare.com/
About Biim Ultrasound AS
Biim Ultrasound was founded in 2011 with the vision of making high quality, affordable point-of-care ultrasound imaging available to a broad range of trained medical professionals. The company is committed to improving patient care and reducing healthcare costs by enabling faster and easier diagnostic ultrasound imaging. The company is headquartered in Norway with subsidiaries in Finland and the USA. Visit https://biimultrasound.com/.
