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Four dialysis centers coming to Montgomery area
The people behind Physicians Choice Dialysis said they knew there was a need for more dialysis services in Montgomery. Now the numbers back them up.
New centers have to get approval from the State Health Planning and Development Agency, which determines the need for an area. The state’s most recent study of the Montgomery area found a huge jump in need — from two dialysis stations to 47 dialysis stations, said Cindy Locklear, chief clinical officer for Physicians Choice.
The company has moved quickly to fill that need. On Thursday, it opened the second of four planned dialysis clinics in the Montgomery area, and they aren’t cheap. The 7,500-square-foot clinic at 8149 Decker Lane off Atlanta Highway cost about $3 million.
Another clinic opened in February at 1815 Glynwood Drive in Prattville, and two other locations are now in the works.
“I had patients come by before we even opened today who are going to be starting on dialysis soon,” Locklear said. “They just wanted to get their foot in the door.
Locklear said the Southern diet plays a role in the trend. “We do have a lot of hypertension and diabetes here,” she said.
The latest clinic is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The phone number is 334-694-7200.
Physicians Choice is a doctor-owned company that gives nephrologists “100 percent clinical autonomy” to handle procedures and medication, CEO Thomas Karl said.
The company started in Montgomery in 2002 and now has locations from Ohio to Texas.
“We saw a significant need, our (doctors) indicated that the quality of dialysis was a problem here, back in 2002,” Karl said at a Thursday ribbon cutting for the new Montgomery facility. “And it hasn’t changed that much.”
Original Article Published on the Montgomery Advertiser.
