The National Kidney Foundation is applauding a move by Congress to increase access to care and improve outcomes for some patients on dialysis.
| Improving Access to Home Dialysis Act aims to reduce barriers to treatment and increase access to care WASHINGTON, April 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Kidney Foundation is applauding a move by Congress to increase access to care and improve outcomes for some patients on dialysis. The Improving Access to Home Dialysis Act (HR-8075) was introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Carol Miller (R-WV), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA). A companion bill is expected to be introduced soon in the Senate.
“Patients deserve to know about all options for dialysis so they can make an educated choice for themselves.” Home dialysis is a form of renal (kidney) replacement therapy (aka, dialysis) that can be done at home by the patient alone or with the help of a care partner. While home dialysis is not for everyone, it can offer patients convenience and flexibility to do their treatments in the comfort of their own homes and without a rigid dialysis schedule set for them. The therapy can be especially useful to patients in rural or remote areas who have to travel long distances to reach a dialysis facility. This flexibility can greatly improve the quality of life for patients and help make them more likely to maintain employment and remain healthy enough to qualify for transplantation. Only 14% of patients on dialysis in the US are using at-home options, despite evidence showing that it may be a better option for some (but not all) patients1. Lack of information is a major barrier as many patients are not informed there are options beyond the traditional in-center care. “Patients deserve to know about all options for dialysis so they can make an educated choice for themselves,” said Kevin Longino, Chief Executive Officer of the National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant recipient. “Too many patients are never told they have options, besides in-center dialysis, that could improve their quality of life. We are deeply appreciative of Reps. Miller, Strickland, Blumenauer, and Miller Meeks for their introduction of the Improving Access to Home Dialysis Act, which will help more patients learn about and gain access to home dialysis.” The Improving Access to Home Dialysis Act will:
Patients and advocates who have been able to utilize Home Dialysis in the past are also voicing their support. “In 2001, I was fortunate to be offered home hemodialysis soon after I crashed into End Stage Kidney Disease,” said Erich Ditschman, an NKF volunteer from Michigan. “Home dialysis gives me the energy and health to be a better husband, father, and friend. Many of the patients on in-center dialysis may not know home dialysis exists or have not been given the opportunity to use it. Once passed and signed, this legislation will help to make home dialysis much more accessible, especially to rural patients. It will save lives and help many ESKD patients to flourish.” “I am grateful to Reps. Miller, Strickland, Blumenauer, and Miller Meeks for spearheading this push to make home dialysis more accessible for us,” said Bell Maddux, an NKF advocate from Pennsylvania. “Policies like this make me increasingly optimistic that more kidney patients struggling with dialysis can have a chance to get some of their life back.” Additional Resources About Kidney Disease About the National Kidney Foundation 1 United States Renal Data System. 2023 USRDS Annual Data Report: Epidemiology of kidney disease in the United States. National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD, 2023.
SOURCE The National Kidney Foundation |
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