New chair of Kidney Care Partners discusses goals for 2024
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. Click here to see the full article.
Congress must restore vital protections for kidney care patients
Roughly 37 million Americans live with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and of those 37 million, more than 800,000 have seen their condition progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD), also known as kidney failure. For these individuals, access to life-sustaining kidney care, including critical dialysis treatments, means the difference between life and death. Unfortunately, a recent Supreme…
Medicare Payment Rule Threatens Access to Life-Sustaining Kidney Care
Nationwide, the kidney care community faces myriad problems that are stretching resources thin and undermining patient access to care. As in many other health care sectors, the past several years have seen a growing workforce shortage among dialysis providers and nephrology registered nurses (RNs). High rates of burnout, an aging workforce, and the economic impact…
Misaligned payment polices hurt efforts to develop innovative kidney care solutions
In the pursuit of progress in patient-centered kidney care, it is essential to recognize the vital role that access to innovation plays in providing hope to people battling kidney disease. Click here to see the full article.
In final rule, CMS increases Medicare payments for dialysis facilities to 2.1% for 2024
CMS has released a final rule for the prospective payment system that increases the Medicare bundled payment rate for dialysis treatments by 2.1% in 2024, up from a 1.6% increase proposed in June. The new base rate will be $271.02 starting Jan. 1. Click here to see the full article.
Medicare Dialysis Center Payments to Reach $6.7 Billion in 2024
Medicare payments to hospital-based dialysis centers will increase 3.1% in 2024, while freestanding centers will see a 2% payment bump under a final rule from Biden administration. Click here to see the full article.
Kidney Stakeholders Say CMS Sets Up Pay Cliff, Want Congress To Step In
Kidney Care Partners called CMS’ final 2024 end-stage renal disease pay rule a “slap in the face” Friday (Oct. 27) as the coalition says the rule’s 2.1% pay update is grossly insufficient and the agency has set up a pay cliff with its post-Transitional Drug Add-on Payment Adjustment pay policy finalized in Friday’s rule. Click…
Support the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act (HR 5027)
For a few years I’ve written about the importance of the federal government investing in a dialysis moonshot. Nothing big has happened, at least so far. Recent surveys and, separately, by coincidence, a bill introduced by two members of the United States House Committee on Ways and Means, underscore that chronic kidney disease (CKD) awareness,…
Medicare policy proposal jeopardizes care for those on dialysis
In recent years, lawmakers have turned their attention to advancing racial equity and creating opportunities for the improvement of historically underserved communities – and rightly so. The urgent need for such improvements is dramatically apparent for people who have end-stage renal disease (ESRD), or kidney failure. While people of all races and ethnicities develop chronic…
Individuals Living with Kidney Disease Deserve More From Our Healthcare System
A serious threat to our health care system – kidney disease – lurks among millions of Americans. When this disease progresses to kidney failure, intensive treatment is required multiple times a week and costs tens of thousands of dollars per year per individual. But, most troubling is nine out of 10 adults with this condition…