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Center is one of only nine accredited in the nation
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Jan. 21, 2010): There’s good news for Louisville-area kidney dialysis patients – in late December, the Norton Audubon Hospital Vascular Access Center received accreditation from the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology (ASDIN), the only accrediting body for these types of centers. The vascular access center at Norton Audubon is one of only nine such centers in the nation to earn ASDIN accreditation.
Accreditation by ASDIN means that a nephrology training program or other training site has met the association’s highest standards. These specific requirements relate to institutional support, facilities, expertise, experience and personnel directed toward training in diagnostic and interventional nephrology. With accreditation, the center has access to the latest trends and procedures in vascular access. Most importantly, the center now will be a location at which Norton Healthcare physicians can train other physicians throughout the nation interested in interventional nephrology procedures. In addition, two of the center’s physicians, Peter H. Wayne III, M.D., interventional radiology and medical director of the center, and Qasim Choudry, M.D., interventional nephrology, were individually certified by ASDIN in 2008 and 2009, respectively.
The National Kidney Foundation estimates 20 million Americans – one in nine adults – have chronic kidney disease. When it progresses to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or kidney failure, the patient must undergo regular dialysis – typically three days a week – to remove waste substances and fluid from the blood that are normally eliminated by the kidneys. This requires frequent access to the patient’s vascular, or blood vessel, system.
“Maintaining quality vascular access, an opening into the body’s circulatory system, can be a frequent problem for patients whose kidneys are no longer functioning,” said Dr. Wayne. “If vascular access is compromised due to infection, clots or other complications, quick restoration of the access is needed to ensure the patient continues to receive dialysis treatments. We restore that access at the Norton Audubon Vascular Access Center; and now, with accreditation, we will be able to teach more physicians how to do the same thing. That will significantly improve the care of patients with kidney disease not only in Kentucky but nationwide.”
Historically, dialysis patients who have lost vascular access have had to schedule a physician appointment and wait, sometimes for several days, for a procedure to restore the access. The Vascular Access Center at Norton Audubon Hospital provides qualified physicians to perform vascular access procedures to initialize, clear and maintain vascular access, which is essential for kidney dialysis patients. As more physicians are trained in vascular access procedures, fewer patients with kidney disease will have to wait to have vascular access restored.
“By teaching other physicians to provide early intervention for vascular access complications, we can help reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and minimize delays in dialysis treatments,” Dr. Choudry said. “This ultimately will provide dialysis patients the quality of care they appreciate and deserve.”
Dr. Wayne said that although the ASDIN accreditation concentrates on physician training, the Norton Audubon Hospital Vascular Access Center never veers from its focus on patient care. “The center’s quality patient care is enhanced by our dedicated nursing staff, which is vital to the successful outcome of our patients,” he said.
According to Steve MacLauchlan, president, Norton Audubon Hospital, the center differs from free-standing centers because its location within Norton Audubon Hospital provides patients immediate access to all of the hospital’s ancillary services.
“Since 2007, the Vascular Access Center’s team of nurses, technologists and ASDIN-certified physicians have worked together to quickly resolve dialysis access complications and provide comprehensive, quality care,” MacLauchlan said. “Sharing our expertise in this area is part of Norton Healthcare’s not-for-profit mission, and Norton Audubon Hospital is honored and privileged to be able to provide ongoing education for physicians treating patients with kidney disease.
“With the prevalence of diabetes in Kentucky, kidney disease is a real threat to our population. As the region’s leading health care provider, Norton Healthcare has an obligation to do whatever we can to combat it,” he said.
About Norton Healthcare
For more than a century, Norton Healthcare’s faith heritage has guided its mission to provide quality health care to all those it serves. Today, Norton Healthcare is the Louisville area’s leading hospital and health care system (44 percent market share) and third largest private employer, providing care at more than 90 locations throughout Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana. The not-for-profit system includes five Louisville hospitals; 11 Norton Immediate Care Centers; 10,900 employees; some 380 employed medical providers; and more than 2,300 total physicians on its medical staff. Norton Healthcare serves patients in the Greater Louisville area, including Southern Indiana, and throughout Kentucky.
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