Nation's Kidney Community Calls for Urgent Policy Action During National Kidney Month to Improve Kidney Care
PR.com)-- Kidney Care Partners (KCP) – the nation's largest non-profit, non-partisan kidney care coalition dedicated to protecting access to care and comprised of more than 30 organizations, including patients, dialysis professionals, physicians, nurses, researchers, therapeutic innovators, transplant coordinators, and manufacturers – in recognition of National Kidney Month is highlighting its 2025 policy priorities to address longstanding systemic challenges to ensure access to high-quality kidney care for the nearly 40 million Americans living with kidney disease.
'Given the new Congress, new administration and urgent kidney care needs, we recognize this is a unique moment to tackle some of the challenges our broader community continues to face,' said Mahesh Krishnan, MD, MPH, MBA, Chair of Kidney Care Partners. 'We are calling on policymakers to join us and implement meaningful and measurable solutions to improve care innovation, expand access to care and protect patient choice.'
Key areas where KCP is calling for solutions include:
1. Restoring Patient Coverage Choice: Congress should introduce and pass legislation to restore the public-private partnership intended to support our nation's dialysis infrastructure by helping to maintain patient choice and protect access to essential care.
2. Incentivize ESRD Care Innovations: The current limited 'transitional period' for new technologies is stifling innovation in kidney care. By addressing gaps with the current adjustments and improving collaboration between policymakers and innovators in both the traditional Medicare and Medicaid Advantage programs, we can help ensure that life-saving advancements reach patients and that continued investment is incentivized in this space.
3. Fixing Medicare's ESRD Prospective Payment System (PPS): Dialysis providers are being hit especially hard by ongoing workforce challenges. This issue is only exacerbated by outdated payment forecasting errors. Correcting these errors and ensuring adequate reimbursement will allow dialysis providers to help stabilize their workforce while also improving patient access to life-sustaining dialysis treatment.
'National Kidney Month is rightfully a time to raise awareness of kidney disease and encourage disease screening for at-risk populations, but it is also time for policymakers to take meaningful action to support our broader kidney community,' concluded Krishnan. 'We look forward to partnering with those willing to address and improve care for the long term.'
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