MISSOULA — Montana's first home only dialysis training center officially opened Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at USA Dialysis PLLC in Missoula.
With guidance from a nurse manager, the facility teaches patients how to perform the treatment before taking a machine home. The treatment can be performed by a caregiver or the patient.
"It allows a lot more freedom," said Dr. Benjamin Lawson of USA Dialysis PLLC.
The team said the at-home option should improve quality of life for patients who do not want to spend multiple hours each week in a clinic. It also eliminates long commutes for some in dangerous weather conditions.
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Wednesday’s celebration marked a milestone for Dr. Lawson, who invested his savings into the new venture to help patients access at-home treatment.
"Yeah, so this has been, pretty much a dream for over a year at least," Dr. Lawson said.
He described his work experience in Alaska.
"I got there for a couple of years, and I noticed how rural that community is and how people would not survive unless they did home dialysis or they had to relocate to a city where there's a dialysis facility, and so that became a big passion of mine, to try to get people home," he said.
Dr. Lawson has been with Montana Kidney PLLC at that location since 2025.
The USA Dialysis PLLC facility officially opened in April 2026.
The location is accepting new patients.
The Missoula office serves local patients as well as surrounding communities in western Montana.
For more information, visit Montana Kidney PLLC.
