Field Notes

April is National Donate Life Month, and during this time, we focus on raising awareness about transplantation and donation honor the people who have saved lives through the gift of donation. Tune in for this special episode today for an update on the latest in transplant medicine. Transplantation is the best method of treatment for many people with end stage kidney disease, when available and accessible. As a company, we prioritize expanding access to kidney transplantation and work to reduce the challenges facing patients as they work towards getting transplanted.

FreseniusRx, the pharmacy business division of Fresenius Medical Care North America, is expanding its services beyond just kidney care to include non-renal medications and will become a go-to pharmacy for our patients' medications needs. Senior Director of Pharmacy Michelle Nguyen, PharmD, joins Field Notes to explain how this will work and why it is so important to ensure successful medical management and adherence.

Optimal starts can result in fewer complications, reduce costs, and improve outcomes for patients. They are considered a key metric for success in many value-based care models. Dr. Murat Sor, Chief Medical Officer for Azura Vascular Care, joins Field Notes to explain how percutaneous procedures can result in optimal starts for patients.

With the ambitious goal of enrolling more than 100,000 participants within five years, the My Reason campaign aims to build the largest kidney-focused genomics registry of its kind. Dr. Michael Anger, Principal Investigator for the My Reason Genomics and Precision Medicine Initiative, and Jeffrey Carr, Head of Genomics and Precision Medicine, join Field Notes to discuss the significant impact My Reason will have on improving outcomes for kidney disease patients.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 52.7 million virtual telehealth visits were performed by the end of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Will telehealth maintain the same pace even as the pandemic slows down? What have we learned about connected health because of COVID-19 and how will the technology change? Dr. Shelly Nash, Chief Medical Information Officer for Fresenius Medical Care, answers these questions and more on Field Notes.

Making organs more accessible and available to patients in need is critical to successful transplants. Casey Humphries, Logistical Products Service Line Leader for the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), joins Field Notes to discuss how the non-profit network was able to help improve organ tracking, shipment, and transplantation through ground-breaking findings on cold ischemic time and UNOS-developed travel applications for organs through a grant from the Fresenius Medical Care Foundation.

Comprehensive Kidney Care Contracting, a new value based care initiative in 2022 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, aims to improve outcome and reduce costs by assisting patients with kidney disease prior to the need for renal replacement therapy. Dr. Terry Ketchersid, Chief Medical Officer for the Integrated Care Group at Fresenius Medical Care North America, and the co-CMO for InterWell Health, and David Pollack, President of the Integrated Care Group, join to discuss the new program.

Training and education is absolutely critical to helping patients feel confident in their choice of home dialysis. Michelle Carver, Vice President of Clinical Services Initiatives, joins Field Notes to discuss two new educational experiences that are comprehensive, fully customizable for each patient, and are rapidly gaining popularity.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States was in the midst of a major health care challenge as the demand for nursing and other caregiver roles increased dramatically. Kathleen Belmonte, Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President of Clinical Services for Fresenius Kidney Care joins Field Notes to discuss what is being done to retain and recruit qualified healthcare workers.  

For patients living with a chronic kidney disease, COVID-19 is a greater threat to their health than for others. That's why the COVID-19 vaccines and subsequent booster shots are so important. Dr. Jeffrey Hymes, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Clinical Affairs for Fresenius Medical Care, and Chief Medical Officer and Chair of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee for Fresenius Kidney Care, joins Field Notes to explain why boosters are necessary, why they are safe, and why they are so effective to protecting our patients. 

Delivering new technologies that help patients connect with their care teams while at home has never been more essential than during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Jeff Burbank, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, joins Field Notes to discuss the importance of making connected health technology better and easier to use for home therapy patients.

Research has shown that more than 70 percent of a person's health care decisions are based on laboratory results. Ines Dahne-Steuber, president of Spectra Laboratories, and Dr. Alex Ryder, medical director, join Field Notes to discuss the importance of Spectra's new state-of-the-art laboratory in Southaven, Mississippi, and its critical impact on the care delivered to patients across the country.

Low levels of albumin have been associated with increased mortality in patients on dialysis according to many studies. A type of protein made by the liver, albumin keeps fluid from leaking out of blood vessels while nourishing tissues and transporting hormones, vitamins, drugs, and substances like calcium throughout the body. Dr. Kam Kalantar, an expert in kidney diseases and epidemiology, joins Field Notes to explain the importance of managing albumin in patients with chronic kidney disease.

With more than 1,400 nephrologists from across the country as network participants, InterWell Health is a physician led organization that brings together the expertise of a diverse and preeminent group of nephrology practices to advance value based models of care. Kim Sonnen, President, and Dr. George Hart, co-Chief Medical Officer, join Field Notes to examine InterWell Health's promising ability to improve patient outcomes while lowering costs.

A year ago, the FDA cleared a product for use in the U.S. called Novalung®, an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system (ECMO). Listen as Dr. David Thompson, Vice President and Medical Director of Critical Care for the Renal Therapies Group, a division of Fresenius Medical Care North America, joins Field Notes to discuss successful experiences with the first ECMO system-FDA cleared for long-term use over six hours in patients with acute respiratory or acute cardiopulmonary failure.

Laura Kemper, Head of Federal Government Affairs, and Nate Elias, Head of U.S. State Government Affairs, join Field Notes to give a behind-the-scenes look at the efforts to forge a one-of-a-kind partnership with the federal government to procure and distribute the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to dialysis centers across the country.

This National Donate Life Month, hear directly from a former dialysis patient and beneficiary of a kidney transplant. Bridgette Chandler, HTRN, discusses her journey coming full circle from home dialysis patient to home dialysis nurse with Fresenius Kidney Care.

Last year in the U.S., home dialysis reached 14% of all treatments by Fresenius Kidney Care, and home hemodialysis with the NxStage system grew at an incredible 37%. Joe Turk, former president of NxStage Medical and current president of home and critical care therapies for Fresenius Medical Care North America, provides an inside look at how FMCNA's merger with NxStage Medical is helping evolve and grow technology for home dialysis and critical care.

Originally developed to treat diabetes, SGLT2 inhibitors are potentially groundbreaking in slowing the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Dr. Robert Kossmann, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Renal Therapies, and Chief Medical Officer of Fresenius Medical Care North America joins Field Notes to examine how this class of drug can be used to intervene earlier with patients and is a key tool within value-based care.

When kidneys do not work, a cycle of damaging health events is started that can ultimately lead to significant bone damage for patients. Dr. Michael Anger, Chief Medical Officer of the Renal Therapies Group, joins Field Notes to discuss the methods used to prevent bone damage, preventing the need for additional and expensive therapies for patients. 

Nephrology has been under-represented in clinical research, even as we have witnessed rapid progress in precision medicine in other specialty areas. A new initiative to build the world's largest renal-focused genomic registry by Frenova, the clinical research division of Fresenius Medical Care, aims to change that. Dr. Frank Maddux, Global Chief Medical Officer, joins Field Notes to explain how this groundbreaking registry will impact the future of kidney care for years to come. 

While the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines continues across the country, the FDA has also recently granted Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA) for new monoclonal antibody therapies specifically for COVID-19 patients living with chronic kidney disease. Chance Mysayphonh, PharmD, clinical pharmacist for Fresenius Medical Care North America, joins Field Notes to discuss how these exciting new therapies will be used in Fresenius Kidney Care centers.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the work of dialysis nurses and technicians working inside hospitals and other major care facilities has been critical as a significant percentage of COVID-19 patients battle acute kidney injury. Gina Sharkey and Tana Waack, both registered nurses who work closely together as Vice Presidents of Inpatient Services at FMCNA, join Field Notes to provide a behind-the-scenes look at the front-lines inside some of the hospitals hit hardest by COVID-19. 

With both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech distributing their COVID-19 vaccines across the country to battle the ongoing pandemic, Phaneth Keo, Pharm.D., Vice President of the Medical Strategies for Innovative Therapies at FMCNA's Renal Therapies Group, joins Field Notes to discuss the science and process behind the groundbreaking emergency use authorizations by the FDA. 

With the ability to provide patients greater control over their own treatment and improve their quality of life, home dialysis is a core component of the care model at Fresenius Medical Care North America. Even the federal government is pushing to see more patients treated at home. Dr. Michael Kraus, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Fresenius Kidney Care, joins Field Notes to break down the benefits of home treatment and provide insight into the company's strategy and approach. 

Health care providers throughout the world are working together to share key clinical information to improve patient quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare. Dr. Emel Hamilton joins Field Notes to share the details of how FMCNA is leading the way in improving care transitions for chronic kidney disease patients. 

How has one of the largest, leading healthcare companies in the United States responded to the COVID-19 pandemic? Dr. Jeffrey Hymes joins Field Notes to discuss how the company's efforts to prepare for a global pandemic enabled Fresenius Medical Care North America to stay ahead of the curve and keep its patients safe.  

Transitional Care Units help people recently diagnosed with kidney failure learn about the treatment options available to them including home dialysis. Dr. Dinesh Chatoth, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Fresenius Kidney Care, discusses the importance of comprehensive, hands-on education that is individualized for each patient, empowering them to manage their own care. 

Dr. Ben Hippen, advisor to the Fresenius Medical Care Foundation and partner at Metrolina Nephrology Associates, discusses the importance of improving the organ transplant process for patients facing kidney failure and the health care industry in general.

Dr. Laura Niklason, co-founder of Humacyte, joins Field Notes to discuss the exciting potential of her company's human acellular vessel, which could transform vascular access for dialysis patients

With hurricane season upon us, Bob Loeper, Vice President of Disaster Response for Fresenius Medical Care North America, joins Field Notes to discuss what it takes to ensure dialysis care for patients even after a major event when roads are blocked, and major utilities are down. 

Dr. Peter Kotanko discusses a new mathematical model suggesting that pool testing is a more accurate and efficient method to map the spread of COVID-19 in certain communities.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, its impacts on the body continue to be understood. Dr. Ted Toffelmire, the Senior Director of Medical Affairs in Canada for Fresenius Medical Care North America, joins Field Notes to discuss a potential link between the devastating virus and acute kidney injury. 

Len Usvyat, PhD, Vice President of Applied Advanced Analytics, joins Field Notes to explain how artificial intelligence is being used to provide better treatment for people with kidney disease by predicting potential outcomes and future health care needs.

This episode marks the Season Two finale with Professor Pius Akumbu, who is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Bamenda, Cameroon and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Hamburg since January 2019. He received his PhD in Linguistics from The University of Yaounde 1, in Cameroon. His research focuses … Continue reading Ep 24: Pius Akumbu on Insider Research in Babanki

Today’s episode is with Willem de Reuse. Willem specializes in the description of Native American languages, particularly Siouan and Athabaskan languages. He wrote his PhD dissertation on the Siberian Yupik language. He has published on morphological theory, language contact, and historical phonology and philology. He has taught at the University of Chicago, the University of Iowa, Ball State University, and … Continue reading Ep 23: Descriptive Linguistic Fieldwork with Willem de Reuse

Dr. Dugan Maddux, Vice President of Kidney Disease Initiatives for Fresenius Medical Care North America, joins Field Notes to discuss the consequences of food insecurity for people living with serious chronic conditions and the importance of medically tailored meals in treating kidney disease.

Dr. Ahmad Sharif, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Information Officer at Fresenius Medical Care North America, discusses the important use of telehealth to safely treat patients during the COVID-19 era and what the future holds for virtual patient care when the pandemic ends.