“We are taking our outstanding care to the communities where our patients live,” says Dr. Benjamin Humphreys, Chief, Division of Nephrology, commenting on the expansion of the division’s clinical services beyond the Washington University/Barnes campus.
The North County Dialysis Center, which opened in February 2018, joins Home Dialysis South in providing more convenient, state-of-the-art services for our patients in the greater St. Louis area. In addition, the division has increased the number of off-site clinics, allowing our physicians to see patients in an ever-widening area of the region.
“The dynamics have changed over time,” says Jodean Baldauf, Director of Business Operations for the Division of Nephrology. “Previously, patients were willing to travel a far distance to receive their dialysis to be seen by our physicians. Now, physical locations become part of their decision-making as to where they will be dialyzed. We are meeting our patients’ needs by going to them.”
Brent Miller, MD
Dr. Brent Miller, Professor of Medicine and Medical Director of Home Dialysis, details the services available to the south metro area. “We have Home Dialysis South, which provides training and support for patients doing peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis.” The center currently has 16 patients and they anticipate that it will eventually provide support for 40 patients.
“It is one of the few home-only dialysis centers in the St. Louis area,” says Miller who also sees kidney transplant patients in offices adjacent to the dialysis center. Both he and Dr. Dan Coyne, Medical Director of Chromalloy American Kidney Center, see patients with chronic kidney disease there.
“The advantages are its accessibility at the junction of two interstates and its convenient parking. It is like going to Walmart,” says Miller.
Dan Coyne, MD (right) with patient.
Home Dialysis South is located in the South County Center for Advanced Medicine, 5201 Mid America Plaza, Suite 2200 Saint Louis, MO 63129.
Clinical services have also expanded north of the WU/Barnes campus. The newly launched North County Dialysis Center is a 16-station, in-center hemodialysis unit that will have the capability for home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis training and support. Currently servicing two hemodialysis patients and one peritoneal dialysis patient, the unit has the potential to accommodate 90 in-center hemodialysis patients and up to 40 home modalities patients.
Tingting Li, MD
Medical Director of the North County Dialysis Center Dr. Tingting Li says, “Our experienced and dedicated dialysis team will provide excellent, personalized care in a friendly and comfortable environment near our patients’ homes.”
“The North County Dialysis Center looks great,” says Ms. Baldauf. “It has a different feel to it. It is beautifully designed with a warm atmosphere, and the natural light gives the unit an open and inviting feeling.”
In conjunction with the new dialysis center, an outpatient clinic where Dr. Marcos Rothstein, Professor of Medicine, Nephrology, will see patients is now open on the campus of Christian Hospital Northeast.
Marcos Rothstein, MD
“The idea is to provide consultative services and support to the medical and urgent care community in the North County and the nearby Illinois towns,” says Dr. Rothstein.
Dr. Rothstein’s office (co-shared with WU Division of Urology) is located at 11155 Dunn Road, Building 1, Suite 202N. The clinic is accepting referrals for patients with kidney disease and hypertension. For new appointments, call 314-362-7603.
“Kidney disease is reaching epidemic proportions and most patients in the U.S. are not seen until it’s too late to enact successful preventive strategies,” Says Rothstein. “This is another step to fulfilling our mission of providing care close to the communities in need.”