Kidney Community States Bill Will Improve Access to Quality Care, Expand Treatment Choice

WASHINGTON, DC — Kidney Care Partners (KCP) – the nation’s leading coalition of patient advocates, kidney disease professionals, dialysis care providers, researchers and manufacturers — today applauded the U.S. Senate for unanimously passing legislation with thoughtful, patient-centric policies to improve care for Americans with chronic diseases. The CHRONIC Care Act of 2017, introduced by Chairman Hatch, Ranking Member Wyden, Senators Isakson and Warner and fellow members of the Senate Finance Committee’s Chronic Care Working Group, will measurably improve access to quality care and expand treatment choice for individuals with kidney disease.

Over thirty million Americans are currently living with chronic kidney disease, or CKD, and more than 660,000 are experiencing kidney failure (called end-stage renal disease or ESRD). ESRD patients often suffer from multiple comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension, requiring more than eight different medications and at least two hospitalizations each year on average. Further, for most patients with ESRD, thrice-weekly dialysis is required.

“KCP applauds the Senate’s unanimous and bipartisan efforts to improve access to quality care and expand treatment choice for Americans living with chronic conditions like kidney disease,” said Dr. Frank Maddux, chair of Kidney Care Partners.

Specifically, KCP supports the provisions in the legislation that will expand use of home dialysis therapy through use of telehealth services and extend authority for Special Needs Plans (C-SNP) without interruption.

“This legislation is not only good for patients, but also for taxpayers and the integrity of the Medicare program,” added Maddux.  “KCP looks forward to continued work with the Members of Congress and their staff who are focused on these important changes to our health care system and improvement of programs for patients suffering from CKD and ESRD.”

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