Policy and Politics News

Increasing the use of peritoneal dialysis can help the kidney care community reach Advancing American Kidney Health goals, but CMS will need to re-think incentives beyond what newly proposed payment models are offering nephrologists and dialysis providers, according to an editorial.

PHOENIX — Defining health equity as “the elimination of avoidable disparities in health outcomes among socially disadvantaged groups,” Darren Stewart, MD, a research scientist at the United Network for Organ Sharing, outlined how the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network goes about monitoring the transplantation process and also named the four factors most strongly associated with disparities in access to kidney transplant.

U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy, MD, R-La., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced legislation on Feb. 28 that would extend immunosuppressive drug coverage for Medicare patients who receive a kidney transplant regardless of age.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Advancing American Kidney Health goal of placing 50% of new patients who need renal replacement therapy on home dialysis by 2025 is achievable and may be the right thing to do, but questions about cost-effectiveness, the likelihood of improving patient outcomes and concerns about the limits that such a goal may place on patient choice need to be answered, two nephrologists debated at the Annual Dialysis Conference.

Uninsured patients with ESRD who visited Texas emergency departments for hemodialysis treatments contributed to high hospital costs and increased strain on the health care system, according to an analysis of 2017 statewide hospital data.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The three modalities of dialysis show different economic impacts that influence which modality a patient chooses, according to research presented at The Annual Dialysis Conference.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Improving the transplant rate and ensuring patients are presented all options for kidney care are high priorities for Advancing American Kidney Health, an HHS official said during a keynote talk, here.

Two members of the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced legislation that would extend lifetime coverage of anti-rejection drugs for patients with a kidney transplant, regardless of age.

A federal court in California has granted a preliminary injunction to prevent Assembly Bill 290, which is aimed at limiting dialysis provider profits and premium assistance, from taking effect.

President Donald Trump on December 20 signed a spending bill that includes funding for federal health care agencies and $5 million to provide continued support of the KidneyX prize competition.