MELBY ABRAHAM, M.D. TO LEAD TELENEPHROLOGY SERVICES IN WEST HAWAI‘I
Appointment supports expanded access to specialized kidney care and inpatient dialysis services
KEALAKEKUA — West Hawaii Region (WHR) of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation today announced that Melby Abraham, M.D. will serve as the primary provider of telenephrology at Kona Community Hospital (KCH). Dr. Abraham’s appointment supports expanded access to specialized kidney care and inpatient hemodialysis services at KCH and Kohala Hospital. The expansion addresses a longstanding need for specialized kidney care in West Hawaiʻi, allowing more patients to receive critical dialysis treatment while hospitalized closer to home rather than traveling outside the region.
“West Hawaii Region is committed to providing accessible, quality care for Hawai‘i Island residents and the ability to expand our services at KCH reinforces that commitment,” said Dr. Clayton Foster, medical chief of staff at KCH. “Dr. Abraham’s experience combined with the use of modern technology will allow families in our community to receive specialized care.”
Dr. Abraham is double board certified in internal medicine and nephrology and completed her fellowship training at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. She currently serves as senior medical officer of TeleNeph, where she combines her clinical expertise with telehealth technology to provide patients with timely, accessible, high-quality kidney care.
Nephrology is the medical specialty focused on the kidneys. When kidneys fail, patients often need hemodialysis, a treatment that uses a machine to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood, typically performed several times a week. The need is especially pressing in Hawai‘i, where kidney disease rates are about 30% higher than the national average and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have the highest rates of kidney failure in the nation.
With a primary telenephrologist, West Hawaii Region now offers inpatient hemodialysis. Previously, hospitalized patients requiring dialysis had to be transferred to hospitals outside the region or on neighbor islands because dialysis systems were specialty-grade, requiring certified dialysis nurses to operate, creating staffing challenges in a rural region.
To support the new service, KCH and Kohala Hospital have received NxStage machines, a simple and efficient technology that can be administered by a trained technician. To bring the new technology online safely, staff completed dedicated, hands-on training in dialysis access management and equipment operation, helping ensure patients receive skilled, consistent bedside care from day one.
“Beginning inpatient hemodialysis at Kona Community Hospital and Kohala Hospital is more than the launch of a new service — it is a commitment to keeping our patients close to home when they need us most,” said Diane Hale, chief nurse executive at WHR. “Our nursing teams have undergone focused, hands-on training to ensure we deliver skilled, safe and compassionate dialysis care at the bedside from day one. Offering this new service is a momentous step forward for patients, for families and for the future of health care in the West Hawaii Region.”
Beatrice Ravenscraft, who has been on treatment for two years, received dialysis at KCH during a hospital stay. Ravencroft called the new service a “life saver” and said it has made a “huge difference.”