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Dialysis Patient Citizens Statement Commemorating Juneteenth

2024-03-29T01:10:15+00:00June 17th, 2021|Categories: Article, Improve Access to Care|

WASHINGTON, D.C., (June 17, 2021) -- Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) today released the following statement recognizing Juneteenth and reaffirming its commitment to addressing healthcare disparities among kidney patients nationwide. “Today we commemorate Juneteenth, an important day in history that celebrates the emancipation of enslaved Americans and allows us an opportunity for reflection on both our nation’s history and how much further we have to go,” said DPC Board President Andrew Conkling. “Black Americans continue to face systemic inequalities in our country, including healthcare disparities that disproportionately hurt patients from communities of color. Too many patients with kidney disease experience firsthand unacceptable racial [...]

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Both Sides of the Aisle Agree – We Need to Help Kidney Patients

2024-03-29T01:10:15+00:00June 9th, 2021|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, Innovation, Medicare Advantage, Medigap Coverage, Protect Patient Care|

On June 8, 2021, Senators Benjamin Cardin (D-MA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) re-introduced The Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act (S.1971), a bipartisan, bicameral bill designed to not only raise awareness of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD), but also improve understanding and access to treatment for patients, which includes the Jack Reynolds Memorial Medigap Expansion Act. The latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more that 1 in 7 US adults (about 37 million people) have CKD and that as many as 9 out of 10 of those adults [...]

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Opinion | Letter: Pass Kidney-care Bill

2024-03-29T01:10:15+00:00June 1st, 2021|Categories: Care Coordination, Patient Ambassadors, Patient's Voice, Spotlight|

By Kristi Flynn of Grovetown, GA I have struggled with kidney disease my entire life. I was diagnosed when I was 7, then started dialysis at 25 before finally receiving a kidney transplant in 2018. Throughout all of this, the role of coordinating care has fallen completely on me, a task I find particularly difficult because I am legally blind. Even within my transplant center, doctors can’t always communicate, and even more frustrating, occasionally change each other’s plans without consulting each other. With a more streamlined approach to care coordination, a lot of these problems could be relieved. Thankfully, Congress is [...]

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Letters: Action Needed to Help Alabama Dialysis Patients

2024-03-29T01:10:16+00:00May 1st, 2021|Categories: Care Coordination, Patient Ambassadors, Patient's Voice, Spotlight|

By Cortney Beavers of Pell City, AL. One of the most difficult moments of my life was finding out that, despite being only 24 years old, my kidney was beginning to fail. After years of dialysis and a kidney transplant, I learned through my experiences in the health care system what needs to be improved. Doctors and nurses need a better care coordination framework to more effectively treat their patients. I had the benefit of working with terrific nurses and other providers who met my needs and communicated well between one another, but unfortunately that’s not the case for every [...]

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New Year, New Administration Brings Changes to Medicare’s Kidney Demonstration Projects

2024-03-29T01:10:16+00:00April 14th, 2021|Categories: Article, Care Coordination, Dialysis Funding, Medicare Advantage, Protect Patient Care, Quality Incentive Program|

2021 was supposed to mark the beginning of three new Medicare programs to demonstrate innovations in kidney care, but a last-minute decision from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has suspended two of them. This action unfortunately leaves about 50,000 dialysis patients with a nine-month gap in extra assistance they were receiving from a successful program that expired March 31. Here is the rundown on the current landscape of Medicare demonstration projects that impact dialysis patients. Demonstration projects are used by Medicare to test new models of care and/or new models of paying providers within Medicare’s traditional fee-for-service program. [...]

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National Minority Health Month

2024-03-29T01:10:16+00:00April 5th, 2021|Categories: Article, Improve Access to Care|Tags: |

April is also recognized as National Minority Health Month, in an effort to highlight and address the health disparities experienced in minority communities. This is especially prevalent among kidney and dialysis patients; Hispanic or Latino Americans 1.3 times more likely to have kidney failure than white Americans, Black or African Americans are almost 4 times more likely, American Indians and Alaska Natives are 1.2 times more likely, and Asian Americans are also at a higher risk. Additionally, the main risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) disproportionately affect minorities. Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, family history of kidney failure, diabetes, [...]

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Support New Kidney Care Act

2024-03-29T01:11:59+00:00April 1st, 2021|Categories: Care Coordination, Patient Ambassadors, Patient's Voice, Spotlight|

By Antonio Green of Virginia Beach, VA. While working in Abu Dhabi, I found out I had kidney disease and needed to begin dialysis. I was able to continue working abroad for a few more years, but a 2017 trip to the hospital showed me it was time to move back home. Since then, I’ve noticed that a better, more coordinated system is needed to help dialysis patients. Even when I had a care coordinator, I found the system never really worked for me. Whether it was managing medications, doctors’ appointments or even my attempts to get a kidney transplant, [...]

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DPC’s Letter to Elizabeth Fowler, Deputy Administrator for CMMI

2024-03-29T01:12:00+00:00March 8th, 2021|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, Medicare Advantage|

Ms. Elizabeth Fowler, Deputy Administrator Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation 2810 Lord Baltimore Drive Windsor Mill, MD 21244. Dear Ms. Fowler: We are seeking a bottom-up review of the ESRD Treatment Choice (ETC) demonstration including consideration of other options to pilot innovations to improve home dialysis take-up and kidney transplantation. Like other kidney advocates, we appreciated the long-overdue cabinet-level attention that was paid to these issues under the Trump administration. But, the ETC program is flawed in concept and execution, and represents a missed opportunity to address pressing problems. As explained in greater detail below, we think it would be [...]

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Dori Wolf: Kidney Care

2024-03-29T01:12:00+00:00March 8th, 2021|Categories: Care Coordination, Patient's Voice, Spotlight|

By Dori Wolf of Woodland, CA, DPC Patient Ambassador Finding out I had kidney disease in 1984 forced me to change a lot in my life. Thankfully, due to my work to stay healthy, I was able to avoid needing dialysis until 2007. Starting dialysis was a draining experience that required drastic changes to my diet and exercise habits, despite constantly feeling unwell. However, with the support of my family, I’ve been able to follow doctors’ advice and keep up with treatments. A major frustration, however, has been a lack of coordination in my care. I have 32 allergies to [...]

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The BETTER Kidney Care Act is an important step forward

2024-03-29T01:12:00+00:00February 19th, 2021|Categories: Care Coordination, Patient's Voice, Spotlight|

By Bryce Mumford, DPC Patient Ambassador My experience with dialysis extends four years: from when my first kidney transplant failed in 2014 to when I received my second transplant in 2018. During that time, the most frustrating thing I encountered was a lack of care coordination. I bounced between several doctors who treated my various health issues independently. Every doctor’s visit required me to provide my full medical history, which was time-consuming and labor-intensive. This was a burdensome task while still working a full-time job to support my family. However, my treatment center began implementing greater care coordination. This meant [...]

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