Transform your kidney care program

We provide consulting, coaching, and resources to help organizations adopt an empowered kidney care model.

Why Partner with EKC?

Our Empowered Kidney Care philosophy creates a culture of collaboration, offering control, dignity, and hope to all patients. Both staff and patients enjoy an environment where innovation is honored, and healthcare providers can use their experience and expertise to serve as coaches and mentors for their patients.

Our team provides coaching, tools, and technologies to transform your kidney care program into a community.

Working Towards Self-Care Dialysis

In-center self-care dialysis is the primary way we help clinics create an empowered care culture. We first help clients evaluate their unique conditions and customize a plan of action to work towards their goals. We have identified four benchmarks on the road to a fully-empowered self-care clinic.

Level 1 Empowerment

Empowerment Ready Clinic

Select patients understand self-care options and are showing readiness to begin journey:

  • Demonstrate readiness

Staff work to listen and engage with patients about becoming more engaged with their dialysis care. They identify their empowerment team and willing patients.

Level 2 Empowerment

Informed Clinic

Patients understand basic functions of dialysis machine, dialysis process, and medical vitals. They learn to:

  • Understand machine readouts (time, etc.)
  • Inspect dialyzer, needles, supplies
  • Take and record vitals

Staff become coaches for the patient, empowering them with working knowledge.

Level 3 Empowerment

Engaged Clinic

Patients can prepare for dialysis and become a model for other patients. They learn to:

  • Prepare machine
  • Test Machine
  • Analyze labs
  • Prepare arm
  • Clean catheter

Staff continue to coach patients as they take more ownership and control of their dialysis machines.

Level 4 Empowerment

Full Self-Care Dialysis Clinic

Patients can prepare, monitor, and complete their dialysis treatment in center. They learn to:

• Cannulize or prep CVC access
• Monitor vitals during treatment
• Pull needles and self-bandage
• Clean machine and chair post-treatment

Patients at this level can become models for other clinics as well as a cheerleader/coach for their clinic.

Customized Implementation Strategies

Empowered Kidney Care provides consulting services to help your leadership transform your kidney care program. We create and help  execute a strategic plan to move you towards in-center self-care dialysis and fully integrated kidney care solutions, including transplants, nocturnal therapy, and home therapy.

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Learning Module Coaching

We work with you to implement processes to support better patient results, cost savings, and improved experience for staff and patients.

Technology

We use technology as a tool to streamline and improve your kidney care program. We'll help you navigate the world of medical hardware, software, and devices.

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Empowered methods get empowered results

Our philosophy is based on extensive research and decades of real-world experience. We believe staff should have license to innovate, which means that our program also continues to evolve and improve as doctors, nurses, technicians, and patients all learn from each other.

The EKC model has been vetted and tested by industry experts, legal counsel, and government agencies alike. Empowered model clinics see consistent improvement of quality indicators at every level, scoring an average 4.8-stars according to evaluation by CMS.

Improved Results

We dramatically reduce mortality rate and hospitalizations — often by as much as 50%.

Cost Savings

Healthy, motivated patients mean fewer complications and fewer costs.

Positive Experience

We help create a partnership environment with satisfied staff and patients.

Don't risk falling behind

In 2019, the U.S. government announced initiatives to incentivize kidney care improvement, including The Kidney Care First (KCF) and Comprehensive Kidney Care Contracting (CKCC). We're here to help you understand these new programs and take steps towards alignment.