State Rules Make It Harder To Open Dialysis Centers In Hawaii … More states are lifting or reforming regulations governing the opening of new dialysis facilities.
On a Friday morning in mid-June, a string of representatives from two national dialysis companies spoke for more than two hours at a virtual Hawaii Department of Health hearing to make their case about whether there’s a need for a new dialysis center in Kahului, Maui.
U.S. Renal Care argued that the growing prevalence of end-stage renal disease in Hawaii justifies approving their application to open a new center, part of a string of new clinics they’re opening statewide.
Fresenius, which operates Liberty Dialysis, argued that a new center would pull patients away from their existing Maui Lani dialysis clinic. That clinic funnels its profits to rural dialysis clinics, thus any change in its profitability could potentially threaten existing care for rural patients.
