AMERICAN RENAL ASSOCIATES LLC
BEVERLY, MA

American Renal Associates operates  American Renal Associates (ARA) is one of the largest dialysis services providers in the United States. We provide high quality patient care to patients suffering from the most advanced stage of chronic kidney disease, known as End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Since our founding, ARA has been the pioneer in physician partnerships focused on providing excellent patient care. Today, we are proud of our successful track record working with leading nephrologists around the country. We continue to expand our network of dialysis centers and improve more lives each year. ARA partners with local nephrologists to develop, own and operate dialysis clinics. Our Corporate office in Beverly, MA is led by experienced staff who provide best practices management services to our clinics and physician partners. We are proud of our track record of delivering exceptional results. American Renal Associates operates Our operating philosophy is embodied in our Core Values. These beliefs drive our organization and bring purpose to what we do each and every day. Provide the nephrologist the autonomy to make operational decisions. Listen to the practitioners and provide the tools needed to take excellent care of their patients. Our reputation, differentiated focus on the partnership model and operating philosophy attracts high quality nephrologists. Get to know American Renal Associates Karen Bowman is a Divisional Vice President at American Renal Associates (ARA). She has more than 25 years of experience in the field of nephrology. Over the course of her career with ARA, Ms. Bowman served as Clinic Manager in three ARA facilities in the Jacksonville, Florida area, and was promoted to Manager of Clinical and Regulatory Services in February of 2008, before her promotion to the position of Regional Vice President of Operations in 2010. She currently covers facilities in Georgia and North Florida. Ms. Bowman is also member of ANNA. James Dilts got his start in dialysis in 1993 as a patient care technician and continued his education to become a registered nurse in 2000. He joined American Renal Associates in 2002 in the role of Clinic Manager and assisted in the opening of three facilities in Columbus, Ohio. He was promoted to Regional Director of Operations for Ohio in 2007 and assisted in opening numerous facilities across the state. His territory has since expanded to include Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Kentucky, where he leads the operational activities for both new and existing facilities. He currently serves as a Divisional Vice President. Mr. Dilts is a member of the NKF’s Board of Directors in Ohio and previously served on the Ohio Board of Nursing’s Advisory Group on Dialysis. He is also a member of the Ohio Renal Association, NRAA and ANNA. Ashwin Patel has extensive experience in the development and operations management of outpatient dialysis facilities and acute dialysis programs. He started his career in dialysis more than 35 years ago as an independent dialysis facility administrator, which led to successful partnerships with physicians in several de novo independent facilities. Mr. Patel worked as a Regional Operations Director for DaVita for 15 years, where he was responsible for managing the operations in DaVita’s top-performing South Florida region. He joined American Renal Associates (ARA) in November 2010 as a Regional Director of Operations supporting ARA facilities in Florida, Louisiana and Texas, and currently serves as a Divisional Vice President. Mr. Patel received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. He is an active member of the NRAA and FRAA. Michele Becher is a Regional Vice President of Operations at American Renal Associates (ARA). With more than 25 years of experience in the dialysis industry, she has specific expertise in regulatory requirements, quality auditing and clinical management across both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Ms. Becher came to ARA in 2013 as a Clinical and Regulatory Manager and became Regional Vice President of Operations for the Virginia/DC/Maryland clinics in 2014. Prior to ARA, she served as a Clinical Services Specialist at DaVita, where she was responsible for the clinical education and quality management of facilities in the TOPCATS Region. She previously served as a Kidney Smart CKD Education Certified Educator, a Divisional Trainer for EHR and was a member on the division-wide CMS Survey Readiness Workgroup. Ms. Becher obtained her BS in Nursing from the University of North Dakota. Kathleen (Kathy) Cardenas was named Regional Vice President of Operations at American Renal Associates (ARA) in May 2014. Prior to this role, she served ARA in a variety of positions, including Director of Clinical and Regulatory Services, Manager of Clinical and Regulatory Services, and Area Clinic Manager of four ARA facilities in Pennsylvania. She began her career as a nephrology staff nurse in 1978 and has worked in hemodialysis, acute dialysis and peritoneal dialysis. She is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital School of Nursing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has more than 30 years of dialysis experience. Shari Cousins is the Senior Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Services at American Renal Associates (ARA). She has more than 25 years of dialysis experience, including management in hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and acute dialysis. She joined ARA in 2001 as Clinic Manager for a facility in Butler, Pennsylvania. Ms. Cousins also worked to open and manage two other ARA facilities in the surrounding area before her promotion to the corporate office in April 2006 as Manager of Clinical and Regulatory Services. Prior to taking on her current role, Ms. Cousins also served as a Regional Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Services at ARA. Ms. Cousins is an active member of ANNA and NRAA.