Kidney Care Community News

Professional organizations had mixed responses to the delay of the Kidney Care Choices payment model but offered suggestions to limit the impact of the delay on patient care and to improve the model when it is implemented.

Joining previous investors, DaVita Venture Group led an investment round to fund NephroSant’s needle-free urine test that detects allograft rejection following kidney transplantation. The Series A funding round closed at $16 million.

A speaker at the Renal Physicians Association virtual meeting addressed how the COVID-19 pandemic has expanded the way social media is utilized, specifically as it pertains to innovative forms of medical education.

Social media initiatives sparking the increased use of Twitter have transformed nephrology by broadening communication and collaboration possibilities, according to a speaker at the Renal Physicians Association Annual Meeting.

Fourth-quarter earnings for Fresenius Medical Care AG and DaVita Inc. were hurt by the high mortality rate and cost of caring for patients who contracted COVID-19, company executives reported during calls with investors.

The FDA has granted 510(k) clearance to Baxter for its portable hemodialysis machine, titled Artificial Kidney 98. The machine is already used in 90 countries, according to a press release.

Monogram Health, a company focused on providing management services for patients with kidney disease, has expanded access to its in-home kidney care management program, allowing for more Cigna Medicare Advantage members to join it.

Similar to how emergency departments have teams ready to treat patients after cardiac arrest or stroke, a speaker argued it is equally necessary to have interventional teams for patients who develop rapid kidney failure.

Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic started, recognition of the value of telehealth – although long overdue – became clear in an environment where person-to-person contact was minimized.

The FDA will hold an advisory meeting to review the new drug application for roxadustat, days ahead of the agency’s planned date for approval of the anemia drug, according to a company press release.