Hal Porter, Vice President of Information Technology at ASA, said “a key reason we chose to partner with Corepoint Health was due to Corepoint’s reputation for solid customer service and their ability to help us build healthcare interfaces quickly and productively.”

Porter highlighted the advantages of Corepoint’s Integration Engine in assisting Innovative Dialysis and ASA in integrating the recent acquisition of Renal CarePartners, Inc.  Porter said. “Because the Corepoint Integration Engine makes it easy to connect disparate systems and databases, we were able to seamlessly integrate the data from the 17 acquired facilities, each with a unique information system.  It would have been much more difficult and taken much longer without Corepoint Health.”

“Since installing Corepoint Integration Engine, Innovative Dialysis’ clinical staff works more efficiently, so that staff members can spend more quality time with patients,” Porter said.  Prior to partnering with Corepoint Health, the same patient data had to be entered into three to four different databases. Now, Innovative has one central point of patient registration, and that information is distributed to all associated databases through interfaces built and maintained using the Corepoint Integration Engine.

“Our plan is that the Corepoint Integration Engine will become the central nervous system for everything we do, so we will have more control over the data.  Now we can translate the data and make different systems work better together,” Porter said.

Because every healthcare provider is unique, Corepoint Health CEO Phil Guy said it is important to truly understand each provider’s integration challenges, something that is only possible through open communication and a team approach.

“We are proud of the relationships we have built with our customers, which truly is a collaborative partnership created from frequent, candid conversations that allow us to understand each client’s unique needs. This team philosophy helps Corepoint Health thoroughly understand and address each customer question, suggestion, or initiative,” Guy said. “Knowing our customers, combined with our flexibility to consistently add new product features, are key factors that Corepoint Integration Engine has been named the number one interface engine in the Top 20 Best in KLAS Awards: Software & Professional Services for the past three years.” 

About Ambulatory Services of America, Inc. and Innovative Dialysis Systems:
Ambulatory Services of America, headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, is a diversified health care services company that provides alternative site services in partnership with physicians. ASA, through its subsidiaries Innovative Dialysis Systems and Radiation Oncology Services of America, Inc. provides dialysis services and radiation oncology services.  ASA, through Innovative Dialysis, owns interests in and provides management services to 65 dialysis programs in 13 states and the territory of Guam, serving more than 5,700 patients.  In addition, Innovative Dialysis provides management services only to six additional dialysis programs in California and the territory of Puerto Rico, and provides acute dialysis services under contracts with 13 inpatient providers. ASA also owns interests in and provides management services to 19 radiation oncology centers in six states through its subsidiary Radiation Oncology Services of America.   Learn more at www.asaambulatory.com.

About Corepoint Health:
Corepoint Health has the healthcare IT experience and strength to deliver a dramatically simplified approach to internal and external data integration and health information exchange for hospitals, radiology centers, laboratories, and clinics. Our next generation software solutions are transformational and will streamline your IT environment, provide a fast track to achieving your interoperability goals, and create operational leverage within your organization. Corepoint Health’s solutions achieve a needed balance of being both intuitive and sophisticated while delivering solid functionality and performance. Our approach significantly reduces the demands on your IT staff and budget.

This is Corepoint Health. This is You Empowered. www.corepointhealth.com/YouEmpowered

Contact: Jon Mertz at 214-618-7000 | Email: jon.mertz@corepointhealth.com

The event will feature nutritional information and a cooking demonstration for dialysis patients and those interested in cooking healthy meals for people with kidney disease.  The event will feature games, door prizes, and free refreshments. 

Bruce A. Greenfield, M.D., Medical Director of the new GALA Dialysis center, said “Patients on kidney dialysis are required to follow many specific dietary guidelines, and they can often find those nutritional restrictions confusing.  We are pleased to offer this opportunity to anyone in the community who could benefit from the information, regardless of where they receive their dialysis treatments.”

Cissy Gu, Facility Administrator and Registered Dietitian, will be holding cooking demonstrations during the event featuring “easy swaps” that dialysis patients can make in their diet in order to eat many of the foods that they love and still follow their nutritional plans.  She will also be on hand to answer any questions about the dietary needs of patients with kidney disease.  “One of the biggest challenges for patients is learning how to cook renal-friendly foods without sacrificing flavor.  We want to show these patients that by making good choices, they can learn to cook healthier versions of their favorite foods.”

The facility will also be open for tours, and the multi-lingual staff will be available to welcome guests and answer questions.   GALA Dialysis features 21 dialysis stations, all with heated and massage dialysis chairs and individual flat screen televisions.  Located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, the facility is close to all major freeways and area hospitals.  Convenient parking is available behind the facility. 

GALA Dialysis is an Innovative Dialysis Systems facility.  Based in Long Beach, California, Innovative Dialysis serves more than 5,700 dialysis patients and owns interests in and provides management services to 65 dialysis programs in 13 states and the territory of Guam.  Innovative Dialysis also provides management services only to six facilities in California and the territory of Puerto Rico.  Innovative Dialysis is a subsidiary of Ambulatory Services of America, Inc. (ASA), headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.   For more information, visit www.idsdialysis.com or www.asaambulatory.com.

Renal CarePartners of Roswell is located at 11660 Alpharetta Highway, Suite 650, in Roswell. The facility provides a full range of dialysis services including home dialysis training as well as in-center hemodialysis care.   

Renal CarePartners of Roswell, LLC and Renal CarePartners, Inc. are subsidiaries of Innovative Dialysis Systems, Inc.  Innovative Dialysis owns interests in and provides management services to 71 dialysis programs in 13 states and the territory of Guam, and Innovative Dialysis provides management services only to four facilities in California and one in Puerto Rico.  Through these owned and managed facilities, Innovative Dialysis currently serves more than 5,700 patients.  For more information, please visit www.idsdialysis.comor www.renalcp.com.

In an initiative to move compliance training for more than 1,600 employees to eLearning, Ambulatory Services of America (ASA) has successfully implemented IntraLearn Software Corporation’s (ISC) LearningServer Learning Management System. This program replaces paper-based, often inconsistent, materials and tracking methods with a comprehensive administrative reporting tool and a set of learning content and testing modules that present standardized courses to all employees.

LearningServer is available through ASA’s Corporate Intranet, leveraging the power of Microsoft SharePoint 2010 on a platform that is available to all employees across the country. The initial phase of the project was rolled out to employees of ASA’s dialysis subsidiary, Innovative Dialysis Systems and has been well received by both employees and managers. LearningServer provides Innovative Dialysis with a standardized method of delivering required educational courses and materials to employees in its dialysis facilities. The program is an easy-to-use method for Innovative Dialysis staff to view required education materials and take tests to demonstrate knowledge of the information to meet CMS, OSHA requirements, as well as Innovative Dialysis’ own internal educational requirements. Completion of courses demonstrates compliance as mandated.

With LearningServer, managers no longer need to schedule hurried meetings on a Sunday or staff days off to present mandatory training materials. Paper tests, manual grading of tests and filing are eliminated by this new process. All records of staff viewing content and completing tests are stored in the program for at-a-glance viewing. Employees are relieved of the responsibility of having to attend an in-service on a day off.

“Staff morale has been improved thanks to the autonomy this program allows, giving employees the ability to access training materials at their convenience during work hours,” says Linda Earhart, Vice President of Administration of ASA. “Along with improvements in morale are cost savings realized through reducing overtime that was previously required for staff to attend mandatory training sessions. Each course can be completed in short blocks of time in the course of normal working hours without manager intervention.”

About Ambulatory Services of America
Ambulatory Services of America, headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, is a diversified health care services company that provides alternative site services in partnership with physicians. ASA, through its subsidiaries Innovative Dialysis Systems and Radiation Oncology Services of America, Inc. owns, operates and manages facilities providing dialysis services and radiation oncology services. Innovative Dialysis serves more than 5,700 dialysis patients and owns interests in and provides management services to 65 dialysis programs in 13 states and the territory of Guam. It also provides management services only to six facilities in California and the territory of Puerto Rico. In addition, ASA, through Radiation Oncology Services of America, owns interests in and provides management services to 19 radiation oncology centers in six states. For more information, visit http://www.asaambulatory.com.

About IntraLearn Software Corporation
IntraLearn Software Corporation (ISC) of Northboro, MA is a leading provider of configurable e-Learning software applications for corporate enterprises, academic institutions and not-for-profit organizations. ISC’s software is distributed worldwide through authorized partners such as resellers and hosting / Application Service Providers to more than 2,000 organizations in 45 countries and 17 languages. ISC’s Learning Management System (LMS) products offer affordable, customizable, highly functional, and easy-to-use solutions for the Windows Server platform including support for .NET and SharePoint. IntraLearn Software is in its tenth year as a Microsoft Certified Partner. For more information, visit http://www.intralearn.com.

Each year, the Evening of Hope Executive Committee recognizes a local cancer survivor as well as a medical professional who provides hope and inspiration to those touched by cancer.  The 2012 gala was held Friday, February 10, 2012, at the Metropolitan Club in Alpharetta.  Mr. Pete Vanwieren was also honored as Survivor Honoree.  Congressman Tom Price served as Honorary Chair.

“All of those who have had the privilege to get to know Dr. Mark McCord as a patient, co-worker, or friend in the community can attest to his passion and compassion for cancer patients.  These attributes help him provide hope and inspiration to cancer patients, survivors and their families,” said Greg Merrill, President and COO of ROSA.

Dr. Mark McCord’s father, Dale McCord M.D., also a radiation oncologist and founder of Atlanta Oncology Associates, attended the event.  “Mark’s work with the American Cancer Society has long been a source of pride and inspiration for me and all of the physicians at Atlanta Oncology Associates.  We thank the ACS for recognizing Mark’s dedication, and we congratulate Mr. Vanwieren and Congressman Price on their commendations.”

“I am humbled to have been selected by the Executive Committee for this honor,” said Mark McCord, M.D.  “The American Cancer Society is one of our best resources and partners in the fight against cancer, and it is a privilege to share the stage with Mr. Vanwieren and Congressman Price as we highlight the importance of hope for cancer patients and their families.”

 Radiation Oncology Services of America, Inc., headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, owns interests in, operates and manages 19 radiation therapy facilities in six states.  ROSA is a subsidiary of Ambulatory Services of America, Inc. (ASA), a diversified health care services company also headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.  ASA provides alternative site services in partnership with physicians through its primary subsidiaries, Radiation Oncology Services of America, Inc. and Innovative Dialysis Systems.

“We became interested in Renal CarePartners as we learned about its physician-centered joint venture model, which is much like ours,” said Timothy Martin, the Chief Executive Officer of ASA and Innovative Dialysis.  “At Innovative Dialysis we prefer to operate in joint ventures with physician partners, so nephrologists can take the lead on providing high-quality care to patients with ESRD and we can support them by taking care of the business aspects of running dialysis facilities.  We look forward to working with the staff at Renal CarePartners as well as their physician partners.” 

“We have spent the last nine years working to build strong relationships with our physician partners while providing excellent care to our patients.  Over that period, we have grown to provide care to almost 1,100 patients currently.  We are confident that ASA and Innovative Dialysis will continue this model and build on our legacy.  We look forward to working with them to provide high-quality care for our patients and great service to our physician partners,” said Orestes Lugo, Chief Executive Officer of Renal CarePartners. 

Ambulatory Services of America, headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, is a diversified health care services company that provides alternative site services in partnership with physicians.  ASA, through its subsidiaries Innovative Dialysis Systems and Radiation Oncology Services of America, Inc. owns, operates and manages facilities providing dialysis services and radiation oncology services.  After the acquisition, ASA, through Innovative Dialysis, will own interests in and provide management services to 62 dialysis programs in 13 states and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico, serving more than 5,700 patients.  After the acquisition, Innovative Dialysis will provide management services only to four additional dialysis programs and will provide acute dialysis services under contracts with 13 inpatient providers.  In addition, ASA, through Radiation Oncology Services of America, owns interest in and provides management services to 18 radiation oncology centers in six states. 

Northridge Dialysis Center, at 9325 Reseda Boulevard, was the first of the new centers to open, and it is currently treating patients.   The facility features 22 dialysis stations, each with heated and massage dialysis chairs and other patient amenities.   “Patients on hemodialysis must receive treatments three times per week, and the time and expense of travel to the dialysis center can be a real burden,” says Vinod Assomull, M.D., Medical Director of Northridge Dialysis Center.    “By bringing top-notch dialysis care in a comfortable, convenient setting to this community, we are helping the patients in this area spend less time traveling and more time leading their lives.”

Torrance Peninsula Dialysis Center, at 20430 Hawthorne Boulevard, also recently opened its doors to new patients and features 18 dialysis stations.   Khaja Ahmed, M.D., serves as Medical Director.  “This new center is a much-needed addition to the area,” says Dr. Ahmed.  “We are pleased to be able to provide exceptional dialysis care in a friendly, comfortable setting that keeps patients closer to home.”

Opening soon will be GALA Dialysis, in downtown Los Angeles at 1666 West 3^rdStreet.   GALA Dialysis will feature 21 stations, with heated and massage dialysis chairs.  “For dialysis patients, finding the right center is so important,” says Bruce A. Greenfield, M.D., Medical Director of GALA Dialysis.  “The new GALA center will not only offer excellent dialysis care in an easily accessible location, but the new center is also next door to a vascular care center, which will be very convenient for patients who need any repairs or help with their vascular access.”

Carson-Avalon Dialysis Center, at 930 East Dominguez in Carson, will also open soon.  This new facility is located across the street from South Bay Pavilion and is within walking distance of shopping and restaurants.  The center will feature 18 dialysis stations.  Sarwat Mahmud, M.D. will serve as Medical Director.   “Dialysis patients want and need to keep their lives as normal as possible,” says Dr. Mahmud.  “This beautiful new location offers not only the best in dialysis care, but also opportunities to weave social outings or shopping trips around treatments.”

All of the facilities were built with patient comfort and convenience in mind, and they have many patient-friendly features such as free Wi-Fi and individual televisions at each station.  In addition, IDS offers transplant counseling, nutritional counseling, and social worker support at each of the new centers.

“Innovative Dialysis is pleased to bring high quality dialysis care to even more patients in the Los Angeles area,” said Larry Jones, President of IDS.   “Unfortunately, kidney disease continues to be on the rise in our area, and we have to look ahead to be sure that tomorrow’s patients will have access to high quality care in convenient locations.   Along with our 18 existing dialysis centers in the Los Angeles area, these new facilities will increase our capacity to bring dialysis services to more kidney patients in Southern California as we work to meet the growing need for life-saving dialysis services in the outlying communities.”

Innovative Dialysis Systems, based in Long Beach, California, owns interests in and/or manages more than fifty dialysis centers across the United States and in the territory of Guam.   Innovative Dialysis is a subsidiary of Ambulatory Services of America, Inc. (ASA), headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.

For more information, or a tour of any of the facilities, please call (562) 495-8075.

“I am pleased to have the opportunity to tour Gulf Coast Cancer Treatment Center and meet with some of the local constituents and cancer care staff that are providing excellent, first class care right here in our district,” said Representative Southerland.  “Especially in an area of health care such as this that is constantly evolving with new technologies, it is wonderful to see the high level of care being delivered in our local community.”  

“We applaud Representative Southerland’s commitment to serving our area’s residents and are honored to welcome him to our facility today to meet with our patients and dedicated care giving staff,” said Dr. David Hurst, radiation oncologist of Gulf Coast Cancer Treatment Center. “We are proud to demonstrate the quality care we provide and thank  Representative Southerland for his efforts to ensure that Panama City-area patients are able to continue receiving quality, state of the art cancer care right here in our community.”

In addition to showcasing the latest techniques and innovations in radiation therapy, Gulf Coast Cancer Treatment Center’s physician and staff expressed the need for stable, predictable payments in order to ensure that cancer patients can access the full care and medicines recommended by their doctors.  In recent years, Medicare payments have been subject to numerous proposed payment reductions, on top of previously enacted federal Medicare cuts for all physician services. Members of the local cancer care community warn that deep additional cuts to radiation therapy services threaten patients’ access to life-saving cancer care.  Additional payment reductions could potentially lead to forced facility closures and limited patient access to cutting-edge technologies, which could then result in worsened health outcomes. 

Radiation oncology has saved thousands of lives across our country and is helping Americans win the war on cancer as one of the three most commonly used cancer treatments along with surgery and chemotherapy.  Today, approximately 50 to 60 percent of cancer patients are treated with radiation at some time during their course of care, and this critical therapy applied through the latest advanced technology is greatly improving patient outcomes. 

Further, freestanding cancer centers are often located in underserved and critical access areas, providing patients with a point of care close to home that allows them to remain active in their communities and even keep working as they undergo treatment. 

Gulf Coast Cancer Treatment Center provides more than 5.000 treatments annually, and last year delivered care to approximately 300 new patients diagnosed with prostate, breast and lung cancers and other life-threatening diseases.  The center offers patients a variety of non-invasive radiation therapy services, with minimal side effects. 

 # # # #

Radiation Oncology Services of American (ROSA) is a member of the Radiation Therapy Alliance, a non-profit organization representing 230 for-profit, community-based cancer care facilities in 24 states caring for more than 78,000 cancer patients annually, working together to educate lawmakers on the essential services free-standing cancer care centers provide; demonstrate the need for stable government funding; and influence public policy to ensure patients receive the quality, compassionate cancer care they deserve.

Rusan has been on dialysis since 2005 due to kidney failure after being treated for high blood pressure since she was 16 years old. That was in the mid-1970s, at the height of afro hairdos, bell-bottomed pants and "doing your own thing." Looking back, Rusan admits that things could have turned out better.

"Had I been doing the right things, like eating right and controlling my weight, I could have prevented it," she said.

Dialysis is her life-saving treatment for end-stage renal disease, but she always felt tired.

"When I went to the grocery store, I had to ride in one of those buggies," she said. "I was just drained, emotionally and physically."

She received her treatments at Affiliated Hospitals Dialysis Center, where the healthcare team decided to train Rusan to do her own dialysis in her home, using a portable hemodialysis device, called an NxStage System.

"I do everything that you would do at the center. I am actually doing hemodialysis," Rusan said. "You have to get trained to put your needles in. And once you are trained at doing it, it actually forms a buttonhole – so you are using blunt needles. They don’t hurt at all."

Within two weeks of beginning her hemodialysis at home, Rusan said, she felt better, which allowed her to leave the buggy parked at the grocery for someone else.

"The first thing, I saw that I could walk longer," she said.

"I used to could walk just down the hallway, and I would get tired from my bedroom to my front door. And then I just started walking longer, and I was, ‘Hmmm, I am not getting tired!’"

Now Rusan said she walks around in the shopping malls and feels fine. She also enjoys bowling.

Home dialysis may not be for everyone with permanent kidney failure.

Susan Ronning, RN, BSN, is the home hemodialysis coordinator at the center who trained Rusan. People who are motivated to participate in their own health care with a strong desire to maintain their independence make good candidates for home dialysis, but each physician and clinic makes those determinations.

For Rusan, home dialysis gives her the energy, freedom and mobility to normalize her daily life. She administers dialysis at home more often than she would receive treatment at a health center, but it also takes less time.

"I do my dialysis in the evening when I get home from work, so I’m usually on the machine by 6 p.m. and I’m off by 8:30 – 8:45 p.m.," Rusan said.

"At home, I’m only on for two-and-a-half hours. It takes about a half-hour to prep the machine though. At home is a lot shorter time and it doesn’t wear your body down as much, I guess, but you do it more, because I do it five days a week versus three days per week."

Rusan said her doctor was able to reduce her days of home dialysis from six to five days a week, because it is working out so well for her.

"I would tell anybody who is capable of doing it at home that they really, really should do it," Rusan said. "Give it a try."

Written by Sandra Jordan and reprinted with permission from the St. Louis American

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