Company Profile
Open Access Lifeline Vascular Access Center
Company Overview
About Lifeline Vascular Access
Lifeline Vascular Access., formed as RMS Lifeline, Inc. in 1998, works with premier physician practices to develop and manage dedicated outpatient access centers that provide focused, coordinated, outcome-driven vascular access services to patients.
• Nation's leading provider of vascular access management services to physicians
• Manages outpatient centers in 22 states & Puerto Rico
o Major metropolitan areas include: Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Houston, San Antonio, Denver, San Diego, Los Angeles and Las Vegas
• To date, more than 200,000 procedures have been performed by physicians in Lifeline Vascular Access managed facilities
• Members of the Lifeline Vascular Access team currently hold board membership positions in ASDIN; RPA; NKF.
• In addition, these teammates provide faculty for the ASN and NKF’s interventional workshops
Lifeline Vascular Access Centers
Lifeline Vascular Access manages vascular access facilities by providing; physician and staff training; financial and outcomes reporting; facility development, construction and operations; coding, billing and collections; purchasing and inventory management; personnel management; regulatory compliance and community outreach, education and marketing.
Other Important Information
• Patient care team extensively trained in interventional vascular access care
• Lifeline Vascular Access and its managed centers follow the National Kidney Foundation's K/DOQI clinical practice guidelines for dialysis vascular access
• All patient care data is tracked and used to develop a continuous quality improvement process that optimizes each patient's access care
• Lifeline Vascular Access managed centers have the highest ratings in patient satisfaction and the lowest complication rates
• Lifeline Vascular Access received system-wide accreditation from the Joint Commission. Joint Commission accreditation is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting high healthcare performance standards.
Vascular Access Care
Patients with ESRD who are undergoing hemodialysis treatment require access to their bloodstream, called a “vascular access.” This access allows the patient’s blood to travel to and from the dialysis machine at large volumes and high speed so that toxins, waste and extra fluid can be removed from the body.
• Vascular access repair and maintenance procedures are often delivered by physicians in facilities not specialized in ESRD patient access care
• Access complications can lead to missed dialysis treatments and increased hospitalizations.
Lifeline Vascular Access., formed as RMS Lifeline, Inc. in 1998, works with premier physician practices to develop and manage dedicated outpatient access centers that provide focused, coordinated, outcome-driven vascular access services to patients.
Lifeline Vascular Access manages vascular access facilities by providing; physician and staff training; financial and outcomes reporting; facility development, construction and operations; coding, billing and collections; purchasing and inventory management; personnel management; regulatory compliance and community outreach, education and marketing.
Company History
Lifeline Vascular Access works with premier physician practices to develop and manage dedicated outpatient centers that provide focused, coordinated, outcome-driven vascular access procedures to patients receiving hemodialysis treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Lifeline Vascular Access has received the Gold Seal of Approval™ from the Joint Commission.
Lifeline Vascular Access History
Lifeline Vascular Access was created in 1998 to improve patient outcomes and quality of life by optimizing vascular access care. To achieve this, Lifeline Vascular Access manages most aspects of physician-owned vascular access centers. This allows physicians to focus on practicing medicine and providing quality care for renal patients.
Without a doubt, the nations leading provider of vascular access management services to physicians, Lifeline Vascular Access is able to integrate information systems and raw on the data and experience from multiple centers to continually improve access care and compare performance with national benchmarks.
Currently, Lifeline Vascular Access manages centers in 22 states and Puerto Rico, in which physicians have performed more than 200,000 vascular access procedures to date. For more information about Lifeline Vascular Access, visit the Web site at www.rmslifeline.com.
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the slow progressive loss of renal function over a period of time. CKD affects as many as 20 million Americans. The most common causes are diabetic nephropathy, hypertension and glomerulonephritis. CKD that leads to kidney failure and requires some form of renal replacement therapy - such as dialysis - is called end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is the complete or near-complete failure of the kidneys to function. The disease occurs when the kidneys are no longer able to function at a level necessary for everyday life. At this point, the complications are multiple and severe, and without dialysis or a kidney transplant, death will occur from the accumulation of fluids and waste products in the body.
Vascular Access Care
In order to receive hemodialysis treatment for ESRD, patients require access to their bloodstream, called a “vascular access.” This access allows the patient’s blood to travel to and from the dialysis machine at larges volume and high speed so that toxins, waste and extra fluid can be adequately removed from the body.
Centers managed by Lifeline Vascular Access focus on the repair and maintenance of these access sites. Procedures performed include angioplasty, thrombectomy, catheter placements, removals and exchanges, diagnostic venograms and pre-dialysis venous mapping.
Each center's dedicated patient care team focuses on minimizing emergency procedures and hospitalizations through extensive interventional training and timely treatment to lessen missed dialysis treatments.
Lifeline Vascular Access and its managed centers follow the National Kidney Foundation's K/DOQI clinical practice guidelines for dialysis vascular access and tracks patient care, providing reportable outcomes to the entire team. Based on extensive data review, Lifeline Vascular Access has developed a continuous quality-improvement process that assists physicians in optimizing each patient's access care.