Healthcare Service Makes Vacations with Dialysis Patients Easier

Have you thought about planning a family vacation with a loved one who's tied to a kidney dialysis machine, then dismissed it as being too hard? 

Dialysis is a life-sustaining process that cleans waste products from the blood, removes extra fluids, and controls the body’s chemistry when a person’s kidneys fail. Dialysis patients typically require treatment on an ongoing basis unless they receive a kidney transplant.

We know that family members who are on kidney dialysis need life-sustaining therapy typically three days a week, so it seems impossible to travel far from their therapy center. However, a new patient referral service from Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) makes it easy and safe to arrange for dialysis at a clinic near your destination. 

Dialysis patient Bill Young and his wife, Ann, recently used the Patient Travel Service before heading to Dallas, Puerto Rico and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

“The Patient Travel Service has been a big help for Ann and me as we plan our trips to visit family and friends by taking the worry out of getting my treatment,” Young said. “We encourage dialysis patients to use the service so they can continue traveling and not let a thing like dialysis stop them from enjoying the pleasures that travel offers.”

FMCNA, with more than 2,700 clinics in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa, provides kidney dialysis treatments to approximately 210,000 patients worldwide. Their clinics already operate in traditional family resort vacation areas such as Cape Cod, the Jersey shore, the Carolinas, New England and the Smokey Mountains, and in popular cities such as New Orleans, Las Vegas, or Orlando.  The company has noticed an emerging trend in which more patients are taking road trips that are closer to home due to the rising costs of fuel and airfares.

FMCNA encourages all dialysis patients, whether they are FMCNA patients or not, to enjoy travel and take vacations across the U.S. and abroad by utilizing its free Patient Travel Service. According to their Senior Manager, the company sets up everything -- at no charge except for the treatment itself -- so patients can focus on living life to the fullest without having to worry about where and how to get dialysis.

Patients, their clinical staff or social workers can arrange dialysis by calling the Patient Travel Service at 1-866-434-2597, Option 2) or visiting www.ultracare-dialysis.com to get help finding a convenient facility at their travel destination.

Family members and the patients themselves also can get answers to general questions about traveling as a dialysis patient. Spanish-speaking phone representatives are available. There is no charge for this service. For the best results, patients are encouraged to make their travel plans well in advance of their trip.

FMCNA says patients use the travel service primarily for vacations and family visits, but “snowbirds” also arrange treatment when they head to warmer climates for extended visits during winter. Family Travel Forum has more information on travel with family members with special needs.

For more information about the company’s more than 1,800 U.S. dialysis facilities, visit their website (in English and Spanish). Here is a video that shows you more about Kidney Dialysis facilities.