Dr. Franklin Maddux, Chief Medical Officer of Fresenius Medical Care North America, Takes Helm As New Chair of Kidney Care Partners
Underscores Goals of Improving Quality, Value, Choice, and Patient Access to Coordinated Care
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kidney Care Partners (KCP) formally announced today Dr. Franklin Maddux's two-year tenure as the newly elected Chair of KCP – the nation's leading kidney care coalition composed of patients, caregivers, providers, researchers and manufacturers – effective January 1, 2016.
Dr. Maddux currently serves as Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President for Clinical and Scientific Affairs of Fresenius Medical Care North America. In taking the KCP helm, Dr. Maddux underscored his desire to sustain quality improvements and protect access to care with an emphasis on improved care coordination and choice for individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), as proposed in the bipartisan Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2015.
"As Chair of KCP, I will work on behalf of our broader kidney community to ensure that our nation's most vulnerable patients with kidney failure have access to the quality care they need to live their lives fully," said Dr. Maddux. "I believe it is crucial that we create a model of care delivery that provides all patients with CKD and ESRD access to the tools, research and resources needed to ensure coordinated care that results in positive patient outcomes."
Today in the U.S., more than 636,000 Americans suffer from kidney failure. Of those, 430,000 rely on dialysis, a number that is expected to double over the next decade. Nearly 100,000 of these individuals are on a kidney transplant waiting list. Because of the dearth of available donor kidneys, only a small percentage of these individuals ever receive transplants. Complicating the transplant situation, most dialysis patients have multiple chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension. This makes coordinated care extremely important.
"When treating patients with multiple comorbidities, it's generally agreed the best way to improve health outcomes and reduce hospital admissions – while simultaneously cutting costs – is through well coordinated care between experts in their varied health conditions," said Dr. Maddux. "For that reason, the kidney community has worked hand-in-hand with members of Congress on the introduction of The Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act, which would eliminate prohibitions on ESRD patient access to Medicare Advantage plans and explore new models of ESRD care delivery.
"I am honored to have been selected to serve as KCP Chair," added Dr. Maddux. "While our short-term goals are tied to provisions included in the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act, we must begin to frame a vision of the future of kidney care, one that leverages technology and provides personalized medicine in a way that current public policy does not envision."
Dr. Maddux joined Fresenius Medical Care in 2009 after it acquired a company he founded, Health IT Services Group, a leading Electronic Health Record (EHR) software company. He additionally founded Specialty Care, a leading provider of perfusion and surgical support services. Dr. Maddux has more than 30 years of health care experience, including the practice of nephrology at the Danville (Virginia) Urologic Clinic, where he served as its president from 1995 to 2005. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and has served on numerous boards and regional committees involved in technology initiatives, banking and health care.
SOURCE Kidney Care Partners
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