Policy and Politics News

BOSTON — The National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings opened its 75th annual event with a clear message: Enhance patient care by advancing awareness.

Among the top three barriers to home dialysis, cited independently by both patients and clinicians, is the need for home-based support, according to data published in the American Journal of Kidney Disease in 2024.

The Senate confirmed Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA, as the next CMS administrator in a vote Thursday.

LAS VEGAS — There is a critical need for payment models that improve the quality of care for patients with kidney disease, while also curbing costs, according to a speaker here.

HHS announced a massive restructuring today to comply with an executive order to implement the controversial Department of Government Efficiency’s initiative for workforce optimization.

The use of technicians to assist in delivering dialysis to the end-stage kidney disease population has been a recognized role since the early 1970s. Today, that role should be extended to expanding home dialysis.

LAS VEGAS — The CMS End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices model was designed to offer optimal care while cutting Medicare expenses, but policy may not always have the intended effect, according to a speaker.

An aging population with more chronic metabolic disorders, an aging nursing workforce and a dearth of nephrology fellows may signal a continued decrease in the nephrology workforce, according to Healio | Nephrology News & Issues sources.

It is going to be impossible for me to describe accurately the horror that unfolded on those first few days of Hurricane Helene. I can describe what we went through, but the recovery process continues even today, 3 months later.