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Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 22, 2014
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Maxine Elliott, Director, Marketing and Communications
1.678.527.3489
1.678.527.3589
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Alliant Health Solutions, Inc., Completes Double Merger with ESRD Networks
and establishes Alliant Quality Kidney Collaborative for advancing Quality of
Care for End Stage Renal Disease Patients and their Families
ATLANTA, Ga., - Alliant Health Solutions (AHS), a nonprofit family of companies serving public and private
partners to increase the quality, effectiveness, and accessibility of healthcare, today announced the
completion of mergers with two End Stage Renal Disease Networks (ESRD Networks), End Stage Renal
Disease Network of Texas, Inc. (ESRD Network 14) and the Southeastern Kidney Council, Inc. (ESRD
Network 6). With these mergers AHS is establishing the Alliant Quality Kidney Collaborative (AQKC). The
two ESRD Networks, while retaining their independent boards and organizational structures, will join
existing AHS subsidiary Network 8, Inc. (ESRD Network 8) under AQKC. AHS will leverage quality
improvement capabilities and administrative infrastructure to accelerate quality improvement for
patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD) and their families.
The Alliant Quality Kidney Collaborative will cover three
ESRD Networks which serve populations with very
similar dialysis and transplant patient demographics and
provider characteristics.
AQKC will boost the
commitment to offer comprehensive, patient-centered
improvements in quality of care along a continuum that
will impact patients in the three Networks’ jurisdictions,
Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. “The combined
expertise and capabilities under AQKC will provide
additional opportunities for collaboration, coordination
and efficiencies. But most importantly, AQKC will amplify the impact of quality improvement initiatives
resulting in strategic advantages primed to benefit our customers,” said Dennis White President & CEO of
AHS.
Southeastern Kidney Council (ESRD Network 6), a nonprofit corporation located in Raleigh, NC, became
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ESRD contractor for Georgia, North and South
Carolina in 1988 through two predecessor organizations that participated in the ESRD Network program
since 1978. ESRD Network 6 promotes patient and family engagement and empowerment through an
established network of partnerships with practitioners and allied healthcare practitioners within the
Network 6 service area.
“We have enjoyed a long-standing collaborative, productive partnership with Alliant; formalizing this
relationship will provide resources and opportunities to allow us to build additional partnerships and
expand our impact,” said Dr. Barry I. Freedman, Southeastern Kidney Council Chair.
End Stage Renal Disease of Texas, Inc. shares a similar mission to support quality care through patient
services, education, quality improvement, and information management. ESRD Network 14 also boasts a
successful tenure as the CMS ESRD contractor for Texas since 1978. Dr. Charles Orji, Chairman of ESRD
Network 14 assures the patients, staff and partners in Texas that the transition will not impact the usual
course of business, he states, “We will remain Texas-based, working with Texas physicians and
practitioners while expanding our resources and partnerships.”
“Under AQKC, the Networks will be more empowered to pursue the strategic objectives of CMS in a
more efficient manner. We incorporate patient-centeredness as a core value in our quality
improvement efforts and these mergers increase our capacity to deliver on this promise,” said Jerry
Fuller, Network 8 Executive Director.
AHS provides corporate guidance and support to its subsidiaries resulting in a reduction in administrative
burdens and increased value for the customers. The ESRD Networks will retain their local identity, with
current staff continuing operations while utilizing expanded resources and expertise provided by the AHS
merger.
“Our corporate values, competencies and cultures complement each other,” said Dennis White, President
& CEO of AHS, “through our collaborative efforts, innovative approaches to quality improvement will be
actively spread to further efforts to successfully engage beneficiaries, providers, professional associations,
and other stakeholders in pursuit of better health, better care, and increased value. Through the
collective knowledge and expertise of AQKC, the three ESRD Networks will be better positioned to address
areas of CMS Quality Strategy focus, such as patient and family engagement and health disparities.”
About Alliant Health Solutions, Inc.
Alliant Health Solutions (AHS) is a professional services organization dedicated to improving the quality,
effectiveness, and accessibility of health care. AHS consists of a family of companies that includes Alliant
Quality – The Medicare Quality Innovation Network - Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) for
Georgia and North Carolina, Alliant ASO, Alliant GMCF, and Alliant Integrity. As a leading provider of
custom health solutions, we are committed to providing the most efficient, effective and highest quality
services, including utilization management, program integrity and quality improvement. For more
information about AHS and its efforts to improve health care quality, please visit www.allianthealth.org.