“These benchmarks are typical comparative data points found in the medical literature, such as anemia and albumin levels, etc. However, this type of data say nothing about the quality of care provided by a particular dialysis facility; rather, these data are indicators of how good of a physician a patient has,” says Martha Dominguez Glumaz, a leading dialysis patient advocate and veteran of 30 years of dialysis treatments herself.
DaVita’s reported mortality rate for dialysis patients has been called into question.
DaVita doesn’t accept critically ill patients, who are typically sent to CPMC. The New England Journal of Medicine (1999) and BMC Nephrology Journal (2008) indicate there is an eight percent higher mortality rate in for-profit facilities such as DaVita, as compared to not-for-profit facilities.
CPMC’s dialysis patient’s main concern is safety. DaVita reportedly has a long history of deaths. In November 2005, there were 19 deaths and 11 injuries at a DaVita facility. The FDA reportedly investigated and DaVita closed for five months due to a recall of their Gambro machines and equipment.
In 2007 in Muskegon, Michigan a DaVita dialysis patient died because a technician used a dialyzer that had not been washed of Renalin, a dangerous chemical used for cleaning dialyzers.
In 2008, in Lufkin, Texas, 19 deaths occurred because bleach was used during dialysis treatment.
How can CPMC — or San Francisco’s Health Commission — guarantee DaVita will be safe for San Franciscans receiving dialysis, Dominguez Glumaz wonders.
For her part, Tatania Kostanian, another patient advocate receiving dialysis at CPMC, worries on behalf of over 200 dialysis patients at CPMC and many more dialysis patients at Davies Hospital already under DaVita, that there are few medically-licensed dialysis clinics in the City.
Kostanian wants to make sure that patient lives will NOT be given to business dialysis companies, but to licensed medical hospitals with licensed nurses and technicians.
CPMC hasn’t answered questions raised by the Health Commissioners, or other questions raised by its own dialysis patients.
Unless there are legally-binding agreements in writing and in place before the Health Commission delivers its Prop Q resolution determining whether an adverse outcome will occur, it shouldn’t even consider passing such a resolution.
Given these concerns, the Health Commission must rule that the outsourcing of dialysis care at CPMC will definitely have a detrimental effect of the overall health care systems and healthcare provided in the City.
If the Health Commission fails in this basic patient rights protection, then the Board of Supervisors should reject CPMC’s plans to build its Cathedral Hill Hospital.
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Feedback: monette-shaw@westsideobserver.com.
Comments
Without data comparing CPMC’s and DaVita’s performance, I am hesitant to put the onus on DaVita. More facts are required. The issue is more why CPMC would want to lose control of care for these patients. Also, it seems odd that they would lease out part of their own limited space and allow DaVita to invest money in improvements. CPMC would then be beholden to DaVita in a peculiar way. DaVita is the clear winner here. They get a physical space to remodel and control, they inherit a built-in client base, and they operate independently of their landlord. Also, a big question -- if DaVita doesn’t take critically ill patients, who does if CPMC is out of the dialysis business?
Recently the Chronicle ran an article comparing the cost of some common procedures, like scans, at several hospitals. CPMC was astoundingly more expensive. They are nor hurting financially.
Why aren’t the patients being treated sensitively? Why isn’t CPMC answering their questions? The Health Commission should not grant permission for this shift until all details are revealed and their reasonableness established. Regardless, I don’t like the idea of DaVita getting the contract. CPMC has the obligation to take care of its own patients.
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