Elevate the Voice of Patients with Kidney Disease and Their Caregivers Fellow kidney patients and family members, our 2019 Annual Membership Survey is live, and it will remain open until Friday, August 16. This survey takes your input as a patient with kidney disease and helps to shape our public policy agenda and patient education priorities for the next year. This year we are also surveying family caregivers of dialysis patients. In addition to determining Dialysis Patient Citizen's priorities, we regularly communicate survey results to state and federal level policy makers, so they will better understand your needs, experiences, and preferences. As a [...]

DPC supports an adequately funded treatment infrastructure that offers stable and convenient sources of care that rewards performance and incentivizes quality outcomes. In addition, we are committed to ensuring access to all forms of treatment for end-stage renal disease, including transplantation. As a result, we work closely with others within the renal community to advocate for adequate policy solutions that encourage organ donation and protect patients' health. In order for patients to make educated decisions about their care, they need transparency and accountability. A bill that was introduced by Senator Todd Young (IN) aims to tackle these issues by improving the [...]

Advocates spent a day of training getting up to speed on the latest legislation impacting the kidney community, which included presentations by Representative Donald Payne Jr. and DPC CEO Hrant Jamgochian. A rooftop reception followed where advocates strategized about the next day's meetings on Capitol Hill. The event culminated with over 100 meetings with lawmakers and their legislative staff about improving dialysis patient care. Below are the photos from DPC's Advocacy Day: If you are interested in making a difference in your community by elevating the voice of people with kidney disease, consider applying for DPC's Patient Ambassador Program. [...]

Activists from across the country gathered on Capitol Hill to advocate on behalf of dialysis patients at DPC's Annual Advocacy Day on June 11, 1019. Advocates represented 26 different states and had over 100 meetings with Members of Congress and their legislative staff. The focus of the Hill discussions centered around preserving access to Charitable Assistance and ensuring access to Medigap for all dialysis patients. Charitable Assistance Charitable Assistance is financial assistance a patient may receive from certain organizations to help with medical bills or premium payments. One out of five individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) use Charitable Assistance. Access [...]

Dialysis Patient Citizens helps patients by working to improve access to care, promote financial security, increase quality of care and advance patient choice. Two leading members of the US Senate Committee on Finance, which oversees the Medicare program, recently raised concerns to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on issues impacting the care of dialysis patients. Many of these items align with our priorities to improve the quality of life for patients with end-stage renal disease. Emphasis was placed on the following dialysis-care issues: better sustainability for new treatment research and innovation the importance of care coordination by strengthening the lines of [...]