KIDNEY CARE FIRST:
A Framework for Improving Renal Disease Support & Treatments
Kidney Care FIRST is a broad look at how we can dramatically improve kidney care nationwide, save lives, and achieve potentially billions of dollars in savings to our healthcare system.
Today, more than 30 million people in the United States have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), which left untreated, can ultimately progress to kidney failure or End Stage Renal Disease or (ESRD). Each year, more than 124,000 Americans are diagnosed with kidney failure and it currently affects more than 726,000 people in the United States. Quite simply, it is an epidemic.
The care continuum for those with CKD includes prevention and awareness; keeping people with a CKD diagnosis healthy; preventing or slowing the progression of the disease; addressing comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease; preparing for ESRD, including access to transplant; and home therapy or active medical management. Thus, the scope of CKD is significant and goes far beyond ESRD and dialysis.
Kidney Care Partners (KCP) recognizes the dramatic growth of kidney disease. KCP is committed to addressing this challenge currently facing patients with kidney disease by focusing on the broad CKD care continuum. KCP members, representing 34 organizations comprised of patient advocates, kidney care professionals, care providers, researchers, and manufacturers, share a broad, renewed vision of KCP policy priorities and how they need to address the full spectrum of the disease cycle, from prevention to transplant, for patients.
Kidney Care FIRST was developed to capture the renewed vision of KCP policy priorities in a process lead by the KCP Steering Committee and developed by a workgroup of the membership. It is organized around five key pillars representing the renewed vision of KCP policy priorities: