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.