ARTICLE SUMMARY:
Costly chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, affecting more than 37 million Americans, are long overdue for a major care overhaul. Now, a sweeping new Advancing American Kidney Health Executive Order—including changes in Medicare provider payment models and a focus on the development of innovative new device technologies—will hopefully be the game-changers that this public health crisis truly needs.
One of the most challenging but under-recognized diseases in the US and throughout the world—chronic kidney disease (CKD)—has entered the US policy spotlight, and policies regarding its prevention, treatment, and Medicare payment models, are about to undergo a historic overhaul. A July 10 Executive Order from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the White House, and the accompanying HHS white paper entitled “Advancing American Kidney Health,” includes three ambitious goals, backed by a coordinated roll-out plan, designed to streamline the overburdened kidney care and transplantation system and reduce costs:
