SEATTLE, WA and SAN JOSE, CA. – March 16, 2022 – Northwest Kidney Centers and Satellite Healthcare, Inc., two non-profit pioneers in bringing life sustaining dialysis to people with kidney failure, announced today the forming of North Star Kidney Care LLC. This transformational partnership, focused on expanding the organizations’ approach to impacting the lives of kidney dialysis patients and related patient services, will extend their legacy of mission driven, high quality care to individuals in the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle-based Northwest Kidney Centers, founded in 1962, and Satellite Healthcare, founded in San Jose in 1974, were some of the first providers of in-center and home dialysis. Northwest Kidney Centers founder Dr. Belding Scribner and Satellite Healthcare’s founder Dr. Norman Coplon set the stage for dialysis therapy focused not on generating profit but on improving the lives of people with kidney disease through innovation and compassionate care. To this day, the two companies are in a select group of non-profit kidney care providers that maintain these foundational tenets through delivering outstanding kidney care to vulnerable individuals from all walks of life.
Both organizations are recognized leaders in clinical quality, research and innovation. Sharing their respective knowledge about kidney care cultivated through their having treated hundreds of thousands of people with kidney disease over a combined total of more than 100 years of service, will enable the organizations to advance a legacy of excellence. This will manifest in North Star Kidney Care through a diverse combination of services and ventures with a primary focus on growing home-based therapies and expanding value-based care arrangements. Northwest Kidney Centers and Satellite Healthcare will continue to operate existing clinics separately.
“We are dedicated to building on our 60 years of success through new partnerships and strategic growth that reflect our vision of a world where kidney disease no longer inhibits people from living their best lives. As the world’s first outpatient kidney dialysis organization and a leader in innovation, we are excited to partner with Satellite Healthcare who shares our commitment to integrated, holistic and equitable care,” said Rebecca Fox, Northwest Kidney Centers CEO. “Together, I believe, we can work toward a powerful and inspiring future– one where the patient experience is a top priority that results in better outcomes for all.”
“Dialysis patients are inherently vulnerable, and many endure social determinants that pose additional challenges to their health, well-being and quality of life,” said Jeff Goffman, Satellite Healthcare CEO. “Partnering with Northwest Kidney Centers to create North Star Kidney Care combines the historic and ever-present commitment of our two organizations to deliver to every person we serve the holistic and innovative care that has impacted and improved the lives of people with kidney disease for over 60 years.”
About Northwest Kidney Centers
Northwest Kidney Centers is a not-for-profit, community-based provider of kidney dialysis, public health education and research into the causes and treatments of chronic kidney disease. Founded in Seattle in 1962, it was the world’s first outpatient dialysis organization and today is the eighth largest dialysis provider in the United States serving nearly 2,000 patients a year in 20 dialysis centers and eight hospitals in the Puget Sound region.
Northwest Kidney Centers mission is to promote the optimal health, quality of life and independence of people with kidney disease. Patients at Northwest Kidney Centers have access to an outpatient pharmacy specializing in the needs of patients on dialysis, with kidney transplants and chronic kidney disease, and the first-in-the-nation kidney palliative care program. Through its long-standing partnership with the University of Washington, Northwest Kidney Centers helped establish the Kidney Research Institute and the Center for Dialysis Innovation in support of new treatments and discoveries to better patient’s lives. For more information, visit www.nwkidney.org.
About Satellite Healthcare
Satellite Healthcare, Inc. is among the nation's leading non-profit providers of kidney dialysis and related services. Since 1974, the company has been dedicated to maintaining a workforce that mirrors its diverse communities. Through its affiliated services and brands; WellBound Home Therapies, Satellite Dialysis, and Satellite Research, Satellite Healthcare provides unparalleled kidney care services addressing patient wellness education, chronic kidney care management, and personalized clinical services. It focuses on the imperatives of improving kidney health, value-based care, high quality, cost management, access to kidney care services, and emphasizing the importance of Home Dialysis therapies.
Satellite Healthcare has more than 90 dialysis centers across seven states and partners with prominent integrated care groups, nephrologists, hospital and health care systems in the United States, including an innovative joint venture with CVS Kidney Care. Satellite Healthcare’s well-recognized mission of “making life better for those living with kidney disease” includes an enduring commitment to philanthropy and community service, from funding millions of dollars in research grants to sponsoring kidney programs nationwide. For more information, visit www.satellitehealthcare.com.