Kidney Care Community News

CMS has released the final rule updating Medicare payment policies and rates under the Prospective Payment System for renal dialysis services for 2021.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the American Society of Nephrology are offering up to $10 million in prizes for innovations in artificial kidney development.

Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes is developing a new guideline for the treatment of patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, according to a press release from the organization. The process could take up to 2 years.

After addressing challenges to improved dialysis initiation for patients with advanced kidney disease, a speaker at ASN Kidney Week discussed programs that could enable “smoother” transitions for these patients.

Data presented at ASN Kidney Week demonstrated that although Medicare-reimbursed kidney disease education led to improved outcomes, “few” eligible patients received it and receipt declined during the study period.

As the medical profession continues to advance and change, support – both from colleagues and organizations – may be key to reducing physician burnout, according to the director of the Stanford WellMD Center.

Though contending the care currently provided to patients is “poor,” a speaker at ASN Kidney Week said society is at a “uniquely positive sweet-spot” in which vascular access care, as well as kidney care as a whole, can be transformed.

A speaker at ASN Kidney Week argued that it is necessary to address systemic racism, implicit bias and structural oppression if health equity is to be achieved in the United States.

Human genomic editing can offer many benefits, but it is important to take ethical considerations into account when deciding what information should influence medical practice, a speaker said during ASN Kidney Week.

Based on more than 20 years of experience, a speaker at ASN Kidney Week discussed the role of the home dialysis training nurse, emphasizing the importance of tailoring training to best support individual patients and their families.