Agreement reached for Grady dialysis patients

ATLANTA - Atlanta's safety net hospital has reached an agreement with several private dialysis providers to continue treatment for 38 indigent patients, many of them illegal immigrants.

Grady Memorial Hospital spokesman Matt Gove says Emory Healthcare will take three patients, while Fresenius Medical Care and DaVita will take five each as charity cases. That means Grady will pay nothing for the treatment of those 13 patients.

The remaining 25 patients will continue treatment at Fresenius at Grady's expense, as they have since October when Grady closed its outpatient dialysis clinic for financial reasons.

The agreement extends through Aug. 31. Gove says Grady will continue to talk to the patients, as well as the dialysis providers to try to arrange more permanent treatment.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2010/9/232199