Columbia Northeast Kidney Center
✓ In-center
69/ 100
Fresenius Medical Care North Star Dialysis
Dialysis center · 140 Highland Center Drive, Columbia, SC 29203
CMS star rating · Patient survey: 2★
16/ 100
Poor
Better than 16% of US centers
At a glance
- Operator
- Fresenius Medical Care · For-profit
- Dialysis options
- ✓ In-center hemodialysis✗ Peritoneal dialysis (PD)✗ Home hemodialysis training
- Evening shift
- No shift starting after 5 pm reported
- Stations
- 21 dialysis chairs
- Medicare-certified
- Since 2015-05-28 · CCN 422651
- Rank in Columbia, SC
- #12 of 13 dialysis centers
- Rank in South Carolina
- #115 of 147 scored centers
- County
- Richland
- ESRD Network
- Network 6 (for grievances and help changing centers)
Patient outcomes and quality of care
CMS quality measures: better than the national average on 7 of 14 reported measures, worse on 4.
| Measure | This center | State | National | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient deaths (risk-adjusted rate) (lower is better) CMS: As Expected | 19.2 | 23.6 | 22.2 | Better |
| Hospital admissions (risk-adjusted rate) (lower is better) CMS: As Expected | 119.8 | 143.5 | 148 | Better |
| Readmitted within 30 days of a hospital stay (lower is better) CMS: As Expected | 24.8% | 26.2% | 27.2% | Better |
| Blood transfusions (risk-adjusted rate) (lower is better) CMS: As Expected | 46.6 | 37.1 | 32.5 | Worse |
| Bloodstream infections (ratio to expected) (lower is better) CMS: Better than Expected | 0 | 0.34 | 1 | Better |
| Emergency room visits (ratio to expected) (lower is better) CMS: As Expected | 1.14 | 1.1 | 0.99 | Worse |
| ER visits within 30 days of a hospital stay (ratio to expected) (lower is better) CMS: As Expected | 0.69 | 1.17 | 1.04 | Better |
| Patients dialyzing through an AV fistula CMS: As Expected | 37.8% | 50.1% | 57.1% | Worse |
| Patients with a long-term catheter (90+ days) (lower is better) | 17% | 12.5% | 19% | Better |
| Hemodialysis patients getting adequate dialysis (Kt/V ≥ 1.2) | 98% | 97.1% | 97% | About the same |
| Patients with high blood calcium (over 10.2 mg/dL) (lower is better) | 1% | 1% | 1% | About the same |
| Patients with very high phosphorus (over 7.0 mg/dL) (lower is better) | 19% | 17.9% | 18% | About the same |
| New patients put on the transplant waitlist (ratio to expected) CMS: As Expected | 1.13 | 1.03 | 1 | Better |
| Patients on the kidney transplant waitlist CMS: As Expected | 9.5% | 16% | 16.5% | Worse |
Rates for deaths, hospital admissions and transfusions are risk-adjusted per 100 patient-years; ratios compare the center to what CMS expects for its patients (1.00 = as expected). State figures are the average of centers in the state. 'CMS:' notes show CMS's own verdict after accounting for statistical uncertainty.
What patients say (ICH-CAHPS survey)
In-center hemodialysis patient survey (0–100 scores): better than the national average on 0 of 6 reported measures, worse on 5.
| Measure | This center | State | National | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kidney doctors' communication and caring | 75 | 80 | 81 | Worse |
| Quality of dialysis center care and operations | 70 | 80 | 81 | Worse |
| Providing information to patients | 68 | 79 | 80 | Worse |
| Rating of the kidney doctor | 80 | 84 | 84 | About the same |
| Rating of the dialysis center staff | 80 | 86 | 87 | Worse |
| Rating of the dialysis center | 80 | 87 | 88 | Worse |
Based on 30 completed interviews (21% response rate). CMS publishes survey results only for centers with at least 30 completed interviews.
Location
Other dialysis centers in Columbia
Central Columbia Kidney Center
✓ In-center✓ PD✓ Home HD
61/ 100
Dentsville Kidney Center
✓ In-center✓ PD
47/ 100
Fresenius Medical Care Columbia Home
✓ PD✓ Home HD
47/ 100
North Main Kidney Center
✓ In-center✓ PD✓ Home HD
44/ 100
Frequently asked questions
Is Fresenius Medical Care North Star Dialysis Medicare-certified?
Yes. Fresenius Medical Care North Star Dialysis (CMS Certification Number 422651) has been Medicare-certified since 2015-05-28, which means it meets federal ESRD Conditions for Coverage and Medicare pays for covered dialysis there.
What dialysis options does Fresenius Medical Care North Star Dialysis offer?
Fresenius Medical Care North Star Dialysis reports offering in-center hemodialysis with 21 dialysis stations. It does not report a shift starting after 5 pm.
How does Fresenius Medical Care North Star Dialysis compare to other dialysis centers?
Fresenius Medical Care North Star Dialysis scores 16/100 on Dialysis Scorecard (poor), better than 16% of US dialysis centers, and ranks #115 of 147 scored centers in South Carolina. CMS gives it 2 out of 5 stars.
Who owns Fresenius Medical Care North Star Dialysis?
Fresenius Medical Care North Star Dialysis is operated by Fresenius Medical Care and is a for-profit facility.
Source: CMS Provider Data Catalog, Dialysis Facility Compare and ICH-CAHPS (2026-09-29). Dialysis Scorecard is not affiliated with Fresenius Medical Care North Star Dialysis or Fresenius Medical Care. Data may lag real-world changes; verify with the center. Is this your center? Report a correction.