Advance Patient Choice Archives - Page 8 of 14

The Administration’s Plan to Improve Quality of Life and Patient Choice for Dialysis Patients
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The Administration’s Plan to Improve Quality of Life and Patient Choice for Dialysis Patients

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:34+00:00July 11th, 2019|Categories: Access to Transplant, Article, Improve Access to Care, Transplant Donor Protection, Treatment Options|

President Donald J. Trump thanks DPC Board Member Nancy Scott prior to signing an Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health Wednesday, July 10, 2019, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) "I did dialysis. I did not let it do me." Those powerful words were shared by DPC Board Member Nancy Scott shortly before President Trump signed an Executive Order centered around improving kidney health in America on July 10, 2019. Scott was one of only three individuals who the Administration asked to share her [...]

Congressman Donald Payne Jr. Advocates for Dialysis Patients
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Congressman Donald Payne Jr. Advocates for Dialysis Patients

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:34+00:00June 25th, 2019|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, Promote Financial Security|

Congressman Donald Payne Jr. is a Representative for New Jersey's 10th congressional district. He has end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and receives in-center dialysis treatment multiple times a week. Payne spoke with advocates during DPC's 2019 Annual Fly-In about his experience with dialysis and the efforts he is taking to elevate the patient voice. Payne's incidence with kidney failure is similar to the stories shared by thousands of people on dialysis. The progression of his diabetes led to the decline in his kidney function, and Payne speaks openly about his struggle to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Establishing dialysis access has been a [...]

Insights from the Dialysis Patient Citizens 2018 Patient Survey: Patients’ Priorities for Quality Measures and New Innovations in ESRD Care
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Insights from the Dialysis Patient Citizens 2018 Patient Survey: Patients’ Priorities for Quality Measures and New Innovations in ESRD Care

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:35+00:00March 11th, 2019|Categories: Article, Innovation, Quality Incentive Program, Treatment Options|Tags: Medicare|

By Jackson Williams, Director of Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel, Dialysis Patient Citizens Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) thanks everyone who completed its 2018 Patient Survey. It is another way to make your voices heard. We use our patient survey to get your input on current issues and to convey your opinions to policymakers in Washington, DC. This year, our survey included questions on two recent developments in Washington: Medicare’s “Meaningful Measures” Initiative: In early 2018, Medicare officials announced plans to reduce the number of quality measures it uses to hold health care providers accountable. This meant that for dialysis care, [...]

NIH Seeks Volunteers to Help Cure Diseases and Solve Health Problems
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NIH Seeks Volunteers to Help Cure Diseases and Solve Health Problems

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:36+00:00February 13th, 2019|Categories: Article, Treatment Options|Tags: Research|

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is looking for volunteers to participate in the All of Us program, which is a research initiative that tracks the health of U.S. participants. The initiative is not centered around a specific disease or population. Instead, it is intended to accelerate research and improve a large assortment of health conditions by evaluating the impact of lifestyle, environment and biological makeup on health and disease. Participants may elect to help by filling out surveys, sharing electronic health records, getting a physical, sharing fitness tracker data, providing blood and urine samples, and more. The hope is [...]

Happy Holidays and DPC’s Top 10 Accomplishments of 2018
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Happy Holidays and DPC’s Top 10 Accomplishments of 2018

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:36+00:00December 19th, 2018|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Care Coordination, Charitable Premium Assistance, Dialysis Funding, Get Involved, Medicare Advantage, Medigap Coverage, Take Action, Transplant Donor Protection|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

Dialysis Patient Citizens wants to wish you and your family a Happy Holiday, as well as a safe and healthy New Year. We also want to take this opportunity to share with you our Top 10 list of accomplishments for 2018, which would not have been possible without your support. Thank you for helping us elevate the dialysis patient voice with policy makers. We are extremely grateful for all of your efforts, and we look forward to our continued collaboration in 2019 as we work together to improve dialysis patient quality of life.

Medicare Adds Transplant Measure to ESRD Quality Improvement Program
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Medicare Adds Transplant Measure to ESRD Quality Improvement Program

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:37+00:00November 18th, 2018|Categories: Access to Transplant, Article, Quality Incentive Program|

On November 1, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final annual rule updating payment policies for the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System and the ESRD Quality Incentive Program (QIP). Among new quality measures to take effect beginning in 2022 is Percentage of Prevalent Patients Placed on a Transplant Waiting List (PPPW). This measure was already scheduled to be reported for individual clinics, beginning next year, on CMS’ Dialysis Facility Compare website. Adding it to the QIP means that facilities can be penalized if the percentage of their patients waitlisted for transplant is below [...]

US Department of Labor Protects Living Organ Donors
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US Department of Labor Protects Living Organ Donors

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:38+00:00September 5th, 2018|Categories: Article, Transplant Donor Protection|

The US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division published an opinion letter last week stating that surgery for people who donate an organ qualifies as a “serious health condition” under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The letter may provide reassurance to individuals that are considering donating a kidney, but are concerned about losing their jobs due to being away for surgery or post-surgery care. About the Family and Medical Leave Act The FMLA allows “eligible employees of covered employers” the ability to take 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during a 12-month period for certain family and medical [...]

DPC Supports Improved Access to Private Insurance for Patients
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DPC Supports Improved Access to Private Insurance for Patients

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:38+00:00August 22nd, 2018|Categories: Access to Transplant, Article, Comment Letter, Dental Coverage, Private Insurance Coverage|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

Currently, dialysis patients are restricted to 30 months on private insurance coverage before having to go into Medicare. The House of Representatives recently proposed extending this length of time by three months, which is estimated to save Medicare $344 million. Access to private insurance is critical for dialysis patients, and we are very appreciative of the House’s efforts to improve that access. Read our letter below in support of this proposal: Dear Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Chairman Hatch, and Ranking Member Wyden: As America’s largest patient-led kidney disease organization representing over 30,000 dialysis patients and family members, Dialysis Patient [...]

Researchers and Journalists Call Out Poorly Performing Organ Procurement Organizations
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Researchers and Journalists Call Out Poorly Performing Organ Procurement Organizations

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:39+00:00July 16th, 2018|Categories: Access to Transplant, Article|

Recent research and journalism has highlighted significant variations in the ability of regional Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) to obtain donor organs for transplants. An analysis by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania rated 35 of 58 OPOs, and identified the best performers among them the OPOs serving Utah and Southern Idaho; Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware; the Finger Lakes region of New York; Wisconsin; and Nebraska. The poorest performing were those serving the New York City region; Southern California; Kentucky; and North Carolina. The New York City OPO’s poor performance was highlighted in a New York Times article last week. [...]

Dialysis Patient Citizens Wins Court Ruling Against Insurer Veto on ESRD Patients

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:40+00:00February 16th, 2017|Categories: Access to Transplant, Charitable Premium Assistance, Improve Access to Care, Legal Defense, Medigap Coverage, Treatment Options|

In a lawsuit filed by DPC against the Department of Health and Human Services, a federal court has blocked a regulation that would have given insurers veto power over ESRD patients’ access to private coverage. The judge called the regulation, that could have forced dialysis patients off their current health insurance and jeopardized their access to care, “arbitrary and capricious.” In enjoining the regulation’s enforcement, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas held that the rule was 1) procedurally defective because HHS adopted it without first giving the public notice of it and seeking comment on it, [...]

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