There are 2 big players in dialysis- DaVita and Fresenius. They imo provide the same services. They both have pretty extensive websites that explains what they do. They both have freestanding buildings across the US to go to for services.
End stage renal disease is actually a special category for Medicaid and Medicare, he may need to become a “dual” that is on Medicare and Medicaid to get coverage with little or no copay. A lot will depend o what his gap / supplemental policy is. I’d ask both daVita and Fresinius if there is a supplemental that works with MediCARE in your region. Right now (November) is the window to change his gap policy if need be, and that’s fortunate.
If his situation is needing several time a week sessions, it may be that location proximity is the determining factor. Driving 20 minutes will be better than having to drive an hr+. He’s not driving, so family is going to have to be available to do this. Some folks are able to have several weeks or months of kidney care at a facility and get stabilized enough to be independent and so that they can do at home filtration. Think if that could be a goal for him to strive for.
He will likely be told There will need to be dietary changes. If your states Medicaid pays for nutritional counseling, take advantage of it. Fresenius few years back had Aaron McCargo chef/ cookbook author out with a whole series of recipes for kidney health.
Every dialysis center in the US should have a social worker & a dietician on staff. It’s a federal law in the ESRD conditions of coverage. Has your dad started on dialysis in center? Those treatments are often 3.5 to 4 hrs 3x/week every week. Medigap should pay the 20% Medicare doesn’t pay. Dialysis social worker can help you find a supplemental plan. I don’t know your father’s age but sometimes dialysis is exhausting for a patient. Sometimes it’s not, though. It depends on how much fluid has to be taken off via the dialysis machine. The majority of folks on dialysis don’t make urine anymore so dialysis takes off the excsss fluid or the person will be short of breath. Often patients are tired the day of dialysis and begin feeling better the next day, then the cycle begins again. I wonder what kind of dialysis access he has - a catheter, graft or fistula? The send two requires large needles be inserted to get the blood in and out. His diet will limit fluids to 1000cc/day. Best of luck!
They imo provide the same services. They both have pretty extensive websites that explains what they do. They both have freestanding buildings across the US to go to for services.
End stage renal disease is actually a special category for Medicaid and Medicare, he may need to become a “dual” that is on Medicare and Medicaid to get coverage with little or no copay. A lot will depend o what his gap / supplemental policy is. I’d ask both daVita and Fresinius if there is a supplemental that works with MediCARE in your region. Right now (November) is the window to change his gap policy if need be, and that’s fortunate.
If his situation is needing several time a week sessions, it may be that location proximity is the determining factor. Driving 20 minutes will be better than having to drive an hr+. He’s not driving, so family is going to have to be available to do this. Some folks are able to have several weeks or months of kidney care at a facility and get stabilized enough to be independent and so that they can do at home filtration.
Think if that could be a goal for him to strive for.
He will likely be told There will need to be dietary changes. If your states Medicaid pays for nutritional counseling, take advantage of it. Fresenius few years back had Aaron McCargo chef/ cookbook author out with a whole series of recipes for kidney health.
Has your dad started on dialysis in center? Those treatments are often 3.5 to 4 hrs 3x/week every week.
Medigap should pay the 20% Medicare doesn’t pay. Dialysis social worker can help you find a supplemental plan.
I don’t know your father’s age but sometimes dialysis is exhausting for a patient. Sometimes it’s not, though. It depends on how much fluid has to be taken off via the dialysis machine. The majority of folks on
dialysis don’t make urine anymore so dialysis takes off the excsss fluid or the person will be short of breath. Often patients are tired the day of dialysis and begin feeling better the next day, then the cycle begins again.
I wonder what kind of dialysis access he has - a catheter, graft or fistula? The send two requires large needles be inserted to get the blood in and out.
His diet will limit fluids to 1000cc/day.
Best of luck!