Improve Access to Care
DPC’s mission is to improve dialysis patients’ quality of life. A critical element of quality of life for patients is access to dialysis care.
Quality of life is improved when we have:
- Ability to choose the modality that is consistent with our individual needs;
- Access to centers that are convenient to travel to;
- Access to centers that provide the best quality care;
- Access to centers that are open during hours that permit us to plan dialysis around our lives, rather than having to plan life around our dialysis schedules;
- Ability to choose the frequency of our treatments in order to maximize the benefits;
- Access to centers where we can get continuity of care, from our physicians and the rest of the dialysis care team.
Quality of life is impeded when restrictions limit the choices patients have to receive our treatment. To this end, DPC advocates for the broadest possible choice of dialysis care for all patients, and against limitations or restrictions (of financial, policy, or other nature) that effectively limit such a choice.
Related Information
DPC Expresses Outrage at CMS Indifference to Dialysis Patient Suffering
On October 27, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final rule updating payment rates and policies under the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prospective payment system. This rule fails to [...]
Dialysis Patient Citizens Responds to Disappointing Final CMS Rule That Will Harm Patient Healthcare
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 30, 2023) - Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC), the nation’s largest patient-led, non-profit advocacy group for dialysis patients, released the following statement in response to the final rule issued by the Centers [...]
DPC Letter to CMMI on ESRD Treatment Choices Demonstration Issues
October 10, 2023 Dr. Elizabeth Fowler, Deputy Administrator Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 7500 Security Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21244 Re: ESRD Treatment Choices Demonstration Issues Dear Dr. Fowler: Last year, published research looking at [...]
DPC Commentary Discusses How Workforce Shortages Impact Patients
A commentary about workforce shortage issues authored by DPC Vice President of Public Policy Jackson Williams amplifies findings from this summer’s DPC member survey to explain how ESRD patients have been impacted. The article [...]
AJMC Contributor Article: Medicare’s Leadership Needs to Confront Our Shrinking US Workforce
Written by Jackson Williams, JD, DPC Vice President of Public Policy Medicare’s administered pricing system has never had to deal with labor scarcity before. Fifteen years ago, the Institute of Medicine issued [...]
Medicare Policy Proposal Jeopardizes Care for Those on Dialysis
CEOs of 3 kidney care organizations explain flaws in CMS' recent reimbursement proposal. In recent years, lawmakers have turned their attention to advancing health equity and creating opportunities for the improvement of historically underserved communities—and [...]
