Kidney Care Partners calls for a legislative and regulatory overhaul of renal disease treatment, including changes to the Medicare end-stage renal disease prospective payment system, an expansion of the Medicare Kidney Disease Education benefit, an extension of Medigap access for those with kidney disease and an HHS study on the social, behavioral and biological factors that lead to the disease.

“We’re confident that the goals laid out in Kidney Care First – after more than a year of development by leading stakeholders in the kidney community – will help empower patients, improve care quality, delay or prevent disease, and strengthen the existing care network that so many Americans depend upon,” said Allen Nissenson, KCP chair, describing the framework released by the coalition.

The partnership also supports the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act, which includes many of the group’s legislative priorities. The bill was introduced by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), and the group is optimistic a House bill will be unveiled this summer.

KCP’s nearly three dozen members, including the American Kidney Fund, Amgen, DaVita, Fresenius, American Nephrology Nurses Associations and others, agreed on the priorities in framework. The purpose, according to the group, is to promote a list of policy priorities across the kidney care continuum, gather new recommendations from members and educate policymakers and others about the full scope of changes needed in kidney care.

The framework focuses on five areas: awareness and prevention, patient empowerment, quality and access, innovation and research.

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