Latest Dialysis Patient Citizens Stories

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC), the nation's largest patient-led organization representing dialysis patients, applauded the Administration for taking steps to solidify a key provision that will ensure end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients have equal access to private coverage as Affordable Care Act reforms are implemented. In a rule released yesterday by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration clarified...

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In recognition of World Kidney Day today, former Georgetown University stand-out, NBA all-star and leading kidney patient advocate Alonzo Mourning met with key lawmakers and White House staff to raise awareness about kidney disease and urge them to ensure individuals diagnosed with kidney failure - also known as end stage renal disease (ESRD) - receive equal treatment under the health care reform law. Under current law,...

Urge the Committee to Ensure Kidney Failure Patients Covered Under the New Health Insurance Exchanges Will Have Same Choices as Patients Outside Exchanges WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a letter to members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (Super Committee), the nation's leading kidney disease patient advocacy organizations urged the Super Committee to implement policy changes that would preserve health care coverage and access to care for kidney...

Clinics in low-income urban areas may get unfairly penalized under Medicare payment system     Patient characteristics affect whether dialysis clinics achieve treatment success and receive Medicare reimbursement     How well kidney disease patients follow their prescribed treatments has the greatest impact     Dialysis clinics in low-income urban areas provide care to more patients who don't follow their prescribed treatments; these clinics get unfairly penalized Dialysis...

Participants met with Members of Congress to Discuss Extending Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Transplant Patients, Deficit Reduction Efforts WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Last week, patient advocates with Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with their Members of Congress and discuss legislative issues important to the 31 million Americans with chronic kidney disease. Participants from 21 states came to the nation's capital for a...

Letter Outlines Key Priorities Including Timeliness of Data, Lower Level Hemoglobin Measure WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yesterday, Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC), the nation's largest, patient-led dialysis organization, provided comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the Proposed Rule for the Changes to the End Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System for CY 2012, End Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program for PY 2013 and...

Even though overall black patients have a lower risk of death while receiving dialysis than white patients, this applies primarily to older adults, as black patients younger than 50 years of age have a significantly higher risk of death, according to a study in the August 10 issue of JAMA."Of more than 500,000 individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States, approximately one-third are black, and the relative incidence of ESRD is 3.6 times higher among black than...

Michigan Dialysis Summit will feature Congressman John Conyers (MI-14), Patient Advocate Julia Herzog and Dr. Robert Provenzano, VP of Medical Affairs at DaVita DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Friday, August 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., members of the Dearborn-area community will come together to raise awareness about chronic kidney disease (CKD) at the Sanford-Brown College Dearborn Campus. The Michigan Dialysis Summit will focus on bringing attention to...

Legislation Disproportionately Cuts Vital Medicaid Funding for Patients with Kidney Failure ST. PAUL, Minn., June 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Minnesota kidney care community expressed concern today over the Health and Human Services (HHS) omnibus budget bill (Senate File 760), which would significantly impact Minnesota dialysis patients' access to care, as well as vital health care jobs. SF 760 would cut Medicaid reimbursement to providers, including dialysis facilities, by...

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kidney Care Partners, a broad-based coalition of patient advocates, dialysis professionals, care providers and manufacturers, commends the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for eliminating the so-called "transition adjustment" imposed on dialysis facilities as part of the new Medicare end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prospective payment system (PPS). Last year, in finalizing rules on the new ESRD PPS, CMS estimated the number...