Health and Human Services' Efforts to Increase Access to Transplant Support Goals of Fresenius Medical Care North America

Health and Human Services' Efforts to Increase Access to Transplant Support Goals of Fresenius Medical Care North America

Waltham, Mass. – Dec. 18, 2019 – Fresenius Medical Care North America, the nation's leading provider of kidney care products and services, applauds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ efforts, announced yesterday, to reduce financial barriers to living organ donation for potential donors.

“We strongly believe that the best option for all patients with kidney failure is the option to receive a transplant,” said Bill Valle, Chief Executive Officer of Fresenius Medical Care North America. “Reducing financial barriers by reimbursing kidney donors for lost wages, childcare, and other expenses, is a positive step forward in supporting those willing to give life back to others, and therefore making living donation a more viable option for many Americans.”

When the preservation of a person’s own kidneys is not possible because of progressive disease or injury, despite treatment, replacing their function with a transplanted kidney is the best option for patients who develop kidney failure. This year, an estimated 20,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list will receive a kidney transplant, primarily from deceased donors. Another person is added to the waiting list about every ten minutes. With a shortage of deceased donor kidneys to meet demand, living donor kidneys are a strong option with higher post-transplant success rates than deceased donor kidneys, according to United States Renal Data System data.

The Fresenius Medical Care Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, was established by Fresenius Medical Care North America and has a mission to raise awareness of kidney disease and transplantation as a lifesaving solution. In October, Donate Life America (DLA) and the Fresenius Medical Care Foundation announced a unique partnership, launching a groundbreaking National Donate Life Living Donor Registry and at-home testing kit. These efforts are designed to improve access to living donation for the 95,000 people on the national transplant wait list currently waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant.

“This proposed rule reinforces the partnership between the Fresenius Medical Care Foundation and Donate Life America to establish the first national, universal living donor registry, and at-home testing kit,” said Valle. “We appreciate the efforts of the government to further encourage living donation for those in need of a kidney, providing a better and faster path to transplant for our patients.”

To learn more about the partnership between Donate Life America and the Fresenius Medical Care Foundation, visit www.fmcna.com/foundation.

About Fresenius Medical Care North America
Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) is the premier healthcare company focused on providing the highest quality care to people with renal and other chronic conditions. Through its industry-leading network of dialysis facilities, outpatient cardiac and vascular labs and urgent care centers, Fresenius Medical Care North America provides coordinated healthcare services at pivotal care points for hundreds of thousands of chronically ill customers throughout the continent. As the world's largest fully integrated renal company, it offers specialty pharmacy and laboratory services, and manufactures and distributes the most comprehensive line of dialysis equipment, disposable products and renal pharmaceuticals. For more information, visit the FMCNA website at https://fmcna.com.

About Fresenius Medical Care Foundation
The Fresenius Medical Care Foundation's mission is to raise awareness of kidney disease and transplantation as a lifesaving solution. Through partnerships and financial support of innovative programs and solutions, the Foundation aims to change the trajectory of kidney disease for patients and communities. The Foundation was established in 2018 by Fresenius Medical Care North America, the premier healthcare company focused on providing the highest quality integrated care to people with renal and other chronic conditions.