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Living with a chronic illness presents a unique set of physical and emotional challenges. If that chronic illness includes end-stage renal disease, one of those challenges will be regular kidney dialysis.
In its simplest form, dialysis involves cleaning and filtering the blood when our own blood filtration devices – our kidneys – are no longer able to function effectively. At one time, there was only one way to perform dialysis, and that was hemodialysis at a clinic.
Times have changed. The average renal care patient has plenty of dialysis options – and dialysis clinics – to choose from. Which clinic will provide the best care for you?
Satellite Dialysis Clinic is a well-known renal facility. However, well-known doesn’t necessarily mean efficient or suitable for your needs. Should you go to Satellite Dialysis? Who are they? What do they offer?
Let’s find out.
Satellite Dialysis Clinics have been offering renal services for many years. While experience is a big factor in choosing a good clinic, it’s not the only thing to consider. Let’s consider the history, treatment options, and locations of Satellite Clinics.
Established in 1974, Satellite Dialysis has grown from a tiny renal care service to a large non-profit company.
Today, Satellite Dialysis has 80 centers available, serving over 8 300 patients, with 2 800 employees. Their aim is to provide high-quality renal care, as well as thoroughly educate patients about their own treatment.
For more information on Satellite Dialysis and its beginnings, check out the Our Purpose page on the official website.
Like any good renal care facility, Satellite Dialysis offers a good variety of treatment options. Treatment options can be broken down into two main categories: In-center dialysis, which is usually hemodialysis, and peritoneal dialysis. Here’s what to expect from each type of dialysis.
In-center dialysis is the traditional form of dialysis. The patient travels to a dialysis clinic for set appointments, usually around three times a week. Needles are inserted into the patient’s arms, with one needle drawing out the blood, filtering it through a dialysis machine, and the other needle returning the blood to the body.
This type of dialysis takes about 3-5 hours. While in-center hemodialysis has its pros, like having qualified medical staff and equipment on hand, it is a very inflexible schedule. You’ll also need to consider traveling costs and the overall time for your dialysis appointments.
Traditional, in-center hemodialysis will take around 9-15 hours a week.
Peritoneal dialysis is a different form of dialysis, involving filtering the blood through the abdominal membrane. Dialysis fluid is stored in the abdominal cavity and needs to be changed regularly, usually several times a day.
There are pros and cons to peritoneal dialysis. For one, you’ll need to do fluid changes several times a day, and that requires special training, either for you or your caregiver.
However, the pros of peritoneal dialysis usually far outweigh the cons. For one thing, you can enjoy a much more flexible schedule. Work, school, and traveling are all much easier for peritoneal dialysis patients.
You can also enjoy more freedom with what you can eat and drink, as your blood is being continuously filtered instead of just a few times a week. Peritoneal dialysis can be done at home, and since it’s the method that most resembles our natural blood filtration systems, dialysis patients often see faster recovery times.
Satellite Dialysis clinics have around 80 clinics all over the US. You can find a local clinic using this location tool, The tool allows you to find a nearby clinic, and you can also adjust how many miles from your location you’re willing to travel.
Now it’s time for the moment of truth – the patient reviews. Any business with an online presence can expect to get reviews, and healthcare companies are no different.
While reading reviews online can help you to get a good idea of how well (or not) a facility is fun, it can be difficult to judge the authenticity of some reviews. However, we’ve taken these reviews at face value.
Satellite Dialysis clinics are a reasonably well-reviewed set of facilities online. It seems that most patients feel cared for, heard, and comfortable during their visits:
“The staff and nurses were caring warm and professional during my visit at Satellite Healthcare. I’m so thankful to have had them on my team. Continue the wonderful work. May I also add Ms. Allyson was extremely accommodating with getting in as early as possible some that could make all the events that I had to attend. Again thanks for the fantastic service and professional treatment.” – Andrew Ipsom
The importance of caring for patients emotionally and mentally can’t be overstated. Of course, a dialysis patient needs efficient medical care above all, but remember, renal failure is a chronic illness. Especially for a patient who’s coming into the facility for hours a week, it’s important to feel welcome and at home.
Dialysis is never a fun procedure, but it is necessary. Warm, welcoming staff can make a world of difference.
Many poor or average reviews have more to do with the comfort or convenience of a clinic, not its actual purpose. It’s important to realize that some clinics, especially non-profits, may need to focus more on service and medical care rather than comforts.
“The service for my dad is good, but the only bad thing is that they have only 2 handy parking lots. My dad is blind so I have to walk with him from one building to another. Please make more handy parking lots for disabled persons.” – Victor G.
While the lack of car parking and disabled spots is annoying and inconvenient, this reviewer left only one star. You can judge for yourself whether that was a fair comment!
Remember, the overall purpose of a dialysis clinic is to provide medical care. Without efficient dialysis, you will die, but an uncomfortable clinic is certainly not going to kill you.
Each clinic and different, and the kindness and efficiency of its staff make all the difference. Unfortunately, while it’s important to be reasonable and fair in our expectations, some clinics simply don’t measure up to standard.
“This dialysis center takes forever. The front desk lady is rude, she thinks she owns the facility. All she does is talk and gossip to her coworkers. She is no help at all with whatever questions you have!!!” – Lily Espanola
Unhelpful or unfriendly staff can have a huge impact on your dialysis experience. This can be a serious problem when a patient has questions or queries. If they feel as if they can’t speak to the staff, a patient may not bother to voice any concerns – serious or otherwise.
If you notice clashing reviews on a particular clinic – for example, one glowing five-star review and one angry one-star review, what does that mean?
Interactions with different members of staff can explain away these discrepancies. For example, a patient may interact with an unhelpful and unfriendly medical professional, who makes no real effort to make a patient’s experience comfortable. The next patient may well meet someone different, who is more helpful and welcoming.
First-time dialysis is a stressful procedure, and many first-time dialysis patients have a lot of questions.
First-time dialysis shouldn’t be painful. There is a chance that you may experience some discomfort, and even mild abdominal cramps and nausea. However, these side effects shouldn’t be serious or ongoing. If you experience any unusual sensations or effects during or after your dialysis, speak to a medical professional about adjusting your dialysis settings.
For traditional hemodialysis, you might experience a slight pinch as the needles are inserted, For peritoneal dialysis, the sensation of carrying dialysis fluid in your abdominal cavity may take some getting used to.
The important thing to remember is that dialysis shouldn’t be painful, or even uncomfortable. In fact, traditional hemodialysis is normally just a bit boring – it’s a good idea to bring a book, some work, or just watch TV or nap while your dialysis is going on.
Yes, Satellite Dialysis is a non-profit organization.
The average cost of dialysis per year is $88 585 for traditional hospital hemodialysis. Self-care hemodialysis costs around $55 593 on average, with CAPD (Constant Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis) costing $44 790, and home dialysis comes in as the cheapest option at $32 570 per year.
It’s also important to consider the hidden costs of dialysis. These hidden costs include time lost from work (to get to your dialysis appointments) and transportation. If you can’t find a local clinic for hemodialysis, you may need to travel a little further.
So, you might need to consider fuel costs, time spent traveling (as well as time spent afterward recovering from your dialysis session), and wear and tear on your vehicle. If you have special mobility needs or don’t have transport, you may need to consider a professional dialysis transportation service.
Public transport should be fine, although it’s important that you don’t miss any sessions or turn up late. Remember, dialysis is literally saving your life. If public transport in your area is patchy or unreliable, you might need to find an alternative solution.
So, should you go to Satellite Dialysis Clinic? The decision of which clinic to attend is yours, but online reviews around Satellite Dialysis are generally good. Poor reviews sometimes refer to certain members of staff, which may not reflect on the overall quality of the clinic.
Reviews complaining about comfort or convenience also may not reflect on the clinic’s efficiency and the medical care it can administer. Non-profit organizations sometimes suffer from unreliable deliveries of medication and equipment or even unmotivated members of staff.
Not all clinics are the same, and it’s possible for two patients to have very different experiences at the same clinic. Alternatively, a patient may have a good experience in one clinic, visit the same brand of the clinic in another state, and have a terrible experience.
Don’t rush into your decision. Take some time to read online reviews about the brand of dialysis clinic you intend to use (in this case, it’s Satellite Dialysis), as well as investigate the actual facility location itself. Check out the website (Satellite Dialysis has a very impressive and comprehensive website), and think about whether this clinic can meet your needs.
If possible, talk to a friend or relative who’s attended that particular clinic, or someone who’s worked there. If you can, schedule a visit to the clinic before you make a final decision.
Always trust your gut when making a decision. It’s also a good idea to try and work out how comfortable the dialysis chairs are – after all, you’ll be spending around 9-15 hours a week sitting in them!
Living with renal failure is challenging, and however you choose to have your dialysis treatments, it’s a real drag.
Still, try not to lose sight of why you’re having these treatments, whether you choose to attend Satellite Dialysis Clinics or anywhere else. Dialysis literally keeps you alive, until such time as your renal failure can be treated or reversed, either by addressing the underlying cause or getting a kidney transplant.
A good dialysis clinic will help you work towards this end goal. They may recommend that you ultimately have a transplant, and they should then help you get on the path towards a transplant surgery.
It’s important to try and stay as calm and relaxed as you can during the dialysis procedure – although this is usually easier said than done!
