YEADON, Pa., Sept. 26, 2019 – Marquis Health Services has partnered with Compass Home Dialysis to bring staff-assisted bedside hemodialysis to its Providence Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Yeadon. The new offering is designed to improve patient quality of life while significantly reducing hospital readmissions.

Traditionally, skilled nursing residents with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have been transported to dialysis clinics for lengthy treatments three times weekly. Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved portable dialysis to be administered in skilled nursing environments.

“ESRD patients in skilled nursing facilities tend to be frail, and the dialysis process – itself – is taxing,” noted Jeremy K. Graves, chief operating officer of Bryn Mawr, Pa.-based Compass Home Dialysis. “This program allows Providence residents who need dialysis to remain in the comfort of the place they are getting their full care regimen. Further, the equipment used in bedside hemodialysis more closely mimics natural kidney function and enables shorter treatments four or five days per week. Instead of dialysis peaks and valleys, this treatment provides more of a gradual wave – which is far less stressful on the body and, more specifically, the heart.”

According to Graves, this type of program has been known to reduce hospital readmission rates by up to 23%.

Marquis Health Services’ Norman Rokeach, chief executive officer, said the innovative culture at Compass Home Dialysis makes the partnership a natural fit. “This program is a groundbreaking step forward in renal disease management,” he noted. “Compass as an organization is clearly committed to eliminating barriers in quality of care. Its patient-first mentality matches ours. And the company’s innovation and flexibility make this a truly collaborative relationship that is benefiting the residents of Providence Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center.”

Further, Compass offers a “Dialysis Your Way” program that enables patients to continue the same service once they return to their own homes. “Our Dialysis Your Way program is revolutionizing access to care by breaking down barriers for those patients who wish to continue this tailored home dialysis service upon discharge from Providence,” said Efraim Elchonen, chief executive officer and founder of Compass Home Dialysis. “We are proud of this patient-focused program and excited to be aligned with Marquis’ initiative of shifting dialysis care to the home environment.”

Marquis acquired Providence – which provides post-hospital care, short-term rehab and long-term residential care – in 2018, and last fall the 129-bed facility launched a well-received Cardio Pulmonary Care Program. That physician-led offering focuses on promoting independence and quality of life through reducing symptoms and decreasing disability in heart and lung patients, while increasing their participation in physical and social activities.

The recent programming enhancements are part of a $2.5 million capital campaign designed to serve the healthcare needs of area residents. Physical renovation work underway at Providence is further modernizing the two-story, 52,000-square-foot facility. Improvements include extensive upgrades to its rehab therapy gym, lobby, common areas, and private and semi-private patient rooms.

Located on the campus of Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, Providence Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center maintains a four-star rating from CMS, with a five-star rating for quality measures. The facility is located at 600 South Wycombe Avenue in Yeadon, a Philadelphia suburb in Delaware County. Marquis Health Services, the healthcare affiliate of Tryko Partners, LLC, is a recognized leader in providing subacute rehabilitation and skilled nursing care. The company operates nearly 3,000 beds at 23 Mid-Atlantic and New England facilities.