Patient truth: Home dialysis patients have the same support team as in-center patients—doctors, dietitians, social workers and even a nurse on call 24/7. With this health care team behind you, you’ll always have someone to answer your questions, provide you with dietary tips and advice, lend an ear when you need to talk and help with any Medicare concerns you may have. Additionally, most home dialysis patients actually have more face time with their doctors than in-center patients.

If you are afraid of losing your current doctor, don’t worry. Home dialysis patients do not have to get new doctors. Instead, your at-home dialysis provider will work closely with your current doctor to ensure you are getting the care you need. If you do not currently have a doctor, your at-home dialysis provider can help you choose one.

Your health care team will continue to play an integral role in your treatment during home dialysis by monitoring your lab values, training you on all the aspects of home dialysis and checking on you to make sure things are going according to plan. You will also need to have monthly in-center check ups.

Patient truth: When patients go on home dialysis, they are typically provided with all the necessary equipment. Most, if not all, training and supply costs are also covered by Medicare and most private insurance plans for qualified patients. This leaves little to no out-of-pocket costs for patients.

If you are afraid that home dialysis would cost too much, talk with your social worker today about benefits offered by Medicare and other insurance providers. If you are currently employed, talk with your human resources department about the benefits offered by your company’s health plan. Chances are you will be surprised to learn how inexpensive home dialysis actually is.

Cost shouldn’t keep you from choosing the dialysis option that is best for your health and lifestyle.

Patient truth: The newest home dialysis equipment is designed to take up less space and require fewer supplies, which means less required storage space. Some new equipment options are also designed to provide more portability, giving patients the chance to travel with their machines for work or leisure. In fact, the NxStage System One, just like the peritoneal dialysis (PD) cyclers, can fit on your nightstand. This new generation of machines is also easier to set up, clean and disinfect while offering increased flexibility and a much more comfortable experience for patients.

In addition, while the old home hemodialysis equipment required patients to make plumbing and/or electrical modifications to their homes, the new home hemodialysis machines do not require any home modifications. The NxStage System One comes complete with its very own water purification system that is both compact and easy to use.

Patient truth: Once you and your doctor have determined that home dialysis is right for you, you’ll enroll in a training program that is tailored to your specific needs. Each patient and treatment regimen is unique, so DaVita at Home personalizes training programs to help you learn how to perform treatments at home with confidence.

During your training, you will learn all the skills and procedures needed to regularly perform your treatments independently. You will learn how to use your equipment, manage supplies, handle needles, create a hygienic environment and keep an organized log of your treatments. The length of training programs varies, but most people can usually learn how to safely perform their own peritoneal dialysis within a couple of weeks and home hemodialysis treatments within three to five weeks.

Home hemodialysis patients are required to have a care partner assist them with their at-home treatments. This can be a spouse, parent, child, professional caregiver or other responsible person who can be relied upon to provide support. If you have a dialysis partner, he or she will be trained with you.