Kidney Intelligence

Bill Valle revisits the personal developments and professional experiences that shaped his beliefs and ideology and how they translate into the organization’s core values and social culture. He shares his insights and wisdom, and offers invaluable advice on life and work for aspiring leaders. Bill reflects on the role collaboration between providers and policy-makers for the creation of incentives and a strong private-public partnership to improve healthcare delivery in our country.

 Bill discusses the drivers and barriers to home dialysis, the complexity of transitional care and the challenge of providing timely access to care tailored  to the patient’s specific needs within their ecosystem. He addresses the care dynamics of ESRD patients in a dysfunctional system which calls for early detection, education and multidisciplinary, integrated patient-centered, culturally sensitive value-based care and a system redesign to promote expedited access to transplantation and home dialysis.

Bill offers a very compelling overview of the Kidney Health industry, his leadership role, how personal experiences contributed to shape and define his philosophy, leadership style and vision, and to drive the implementation of transformative initiatives to optimize care delivery in the ever challenging CKD space. A very natural, candid, and engaging guest, Bill offers his invaluable insights and perspectives ,allowing us to navigate with a steady hand the complex world of kidney care.

Our host, Barbara Valle RN, Clinical Facility Administrator at VIP Kidney Health, a large successful Home Dialysis program answers  questions on what makes her organization different and offers her insight on the role of leadership, relationship building, education, expedited access to care and share-decison making in the development of a model of healthcare delivery which produced exceptional outcomes including drastic reductions in hospitalizations, Emergency Department utilization and mortality, and a transplant rate many times the national average despite caring for a patient population with higher risk scores and 10 years older than the national average.

A young newlywed couple discusses dating, living together, engagement and marriage, all while coping with one partner's Chronic Kidney Disease. Home Dialysis, Organ Donation, and Kidney Transplant are also discussed. We asked the questions couples in this position want answers to on having a successful and loving relationship within the challenges of living with Chronic Kidney Disease. 

Guest Bethany Johasky, in Part 3 of her frank interview, covers such topics as planning a dream wedding, owning a popular gourmet store, beginning Peritoneal Dialysis, and realizing your walk down the aisle seems to be dovetailing with your receipt of a 3rd kidney transplant. Funny, down-to-earth, and unscripted, Bethany answers the questions all CKD patients in love or looking for love want the answers to.

In Part 2 of our interview with nephrologist Dr. Gabriel Valle, he talks about the changes in Kidney Medicine occurring now that will bring incentives for increased use of home dialysis and organ  transplantation. Dr Valle offers his insights on developing a robust Home Dialysis Program and how the physician and nursing leadership at The Kidney & Hypertension Group of South Florida have been achieving superior outcomes for over two decades,   and the innovative ideas that led to these successes. He also  discusses strategies to increase organ donation and the importance of patient self-advocacy.

In this episode, Dr. Carlos Bejar leading nephrologist at The Kidney and Hypertension Group of South Florida and faculty member at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine offers an elegant and pragmatic review of the diaagnosis , classsification and  clinical chracteristics of patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidey Disease (ADPKD). Type 1 (rapidly progressive) and Type 2 (slowly progressive) are covered in detail. Dr Bejar also talks about comprehensive management strategies, indications for novel therapeutic agents and clinical outcomes . He also discusses emerging and promising therapies for these patients and  talks about kidney transplantation in ADPKD, and what the future holds for this common form of congenital kidney disease. Does drinking water in large amounts slow the disease? He gives us his answer on that, as well.

Imagine being a beautiful 15 year old competitive swimmer, and waking up one day to find your body grossly swollen. Thus began Bethany's battle with Chronic Kidney Disease. In her own charming and direct manner, Bethany skillfully narrates her journey through being bullied in high school because somedays no shoes would fit her swollen feet, through her first few years away at college, only to return home to begin dialysis and pursue a transplant. Her problem solving attitude towards life with a chronic illness can teach us all about dealing with adversity, and coming out a winner.

Guest Gabriel Valle, M.D, FACP, FASN, FCCP, FASH, FACC, nephrologist and Nephrology Education Coordinator for the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Residency Program at Holy Cross Hospital in Broward County, and the CEO of The Kidney & Hypertension Group, discusses the government's new five year plan for improving care delivery and outcomes in Kidney Medicine, including decreasing the incidence of End Stage Renal Disease. He also gives tips for how patients, and their care team, can use these coming changes to achieve better outcomes.