Policy and Politics News

Nephrology practices could leave the Kidney Care Choices model for patients with chronic kidney disease because of planned reductions in Medicare payments that are “much larger than anticipated,” according to a nephrology advocacy group.

In its biannual report to Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommended that payments to physicians should increase but a planned 1.8% boost in the bundled payment rate for dialysis services was adequate for 2025.

Legislation approved earlier this month by Congress and the Biden administration to avert a government shutdown included a measure to reduce the impact of planned Medicare payment cuts to physicians for 2024.

Congress is reviewing legislation that would delay inclusion of oral phosphate binders into the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System bundled payment system.

Healio | Nephrology News & Issues recently interviewed Mahesh Krishnan, MD, MPH, MBA, the new chair of Kidney Care Partners, about goals for the advocacy group in the coming year.

Some U.S. nephrologists continued to use telehealth during the pandemic despite the decreasing link between COVID-19 incidence and telehealth usage over time, according to a published study.

The latest edition of the United States Renal Data System Annual Data Report offers a look at outcomes from the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as outcomes in the Medicare Advantage and Medicaid programs among patients with kidney disease.

As a nephrologist, it is my mission to promote equal health care access and to end racial disparities in the care of patients with kidney disease.

Adam Weinstein, MD, said artificial intelligence is a powerful tool that can enhance treatment strategies for patients with kidney disease – when it is used as an adjunct to decision-making by the kidney care team.

Results from a recently published U.S. survey show that most adults would consider becoming a living kidney donor, and donation rates could increase with culturally competent education.