WASHINGTON – Kidney Care Partners (KCP) – the nation’s leading kidney care multi-stakeholder coalition representing patient advocates, physician organizations, health professional groups, dialysis providers, researchers and manufacturers – today commended Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL) for their re-introduction of the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act (H.R. 4065). If passed, this legislation, which complements similar legislation introduced in the Senate in June, would raise awareness of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) while also improving disease awareness and access to treatment.

“We want to thank Congresswoman Sewell and Congressman Buchanan for their leadership on this bipartisan, bicameral legislation,” said John P. Butler, Chair of KCP. “The Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act is a bold step in the right direction to expand choice and access to quality kidney care and improve the lives of individuals  living with this disease.”

The Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act would:

• Expand kidney disease awareness and education by expanding the Medicare annual wellness benefit to include kidney disease screening, research disincentives in the Medicare payment systems that create barriers to kidney transplants and post-transplant care, and invest in understanding the progression of kidney disease and treatment of kidney failure in minority populations.
• Increase access to the Medicare Kidney Disease Education Benefit, allowing dialysis centers to provide the benefit, expanding which medical professionals can offer the benefit and including access to these services to beneficiaries with Stage 5 CKD who are not yet on dialysis.
• Create an economically stable dialysis infrastructure and incentivize innovation by refining the ESRD payment system to improve accuracy in payment and support innovative therapies.
• Increase patient access to quality performance information by improving the accuracy and transparency of the ESRD quality programs by bettering patient decision making and transparency by consolidating and modernizing quality programs; and
• Expand patient choice in coverage by providing Medigap access to ESRD beneficiaries and protecting dialysis patients’ access to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.

“As the voice of the kidney care community, KCP is a strong advocate for improvements in treatment and care options for people living with kidney disease, and this important legislation aims to do just that for those individuals. KCP stands behind this effort and encourages all members of Congress to do the same by supporting this bill,” Butler concluded.

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