ࡱ> LNK[ 0bjbj | ΐΐ $PUq<```$ ``````^`]\ 0<,p!F^p!p!```^```<````p!````````` :  CONTACT: Jennifer Lawson, Kidney Care Partners 703-548-0019 Kidney Care Partners Applauds House and Senate Leaders for Introducing the Kidney Care Quality and Education Act Legislation addresses sharp anticipated growth of kidney disease and failure; One in nine Americans suffers from kidney disease and 400,000 depend on quality dialysis care WASHINGTON (February 27, 2007) With the number of Americans experiencing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) rising rapidly, members of the national kidney care community today expressed their deep gratitude to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives for introducing legislation that would initiate long-needed education and prevention programs, launch a quality improvement initiative, and establish a method to evaluate key payment policy reforms. Kidney Care Partners an alliance of patient advocates, dialysis professionals, care providers and manufacturers working together to improve quality of care for individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease proudly supports the Kidney Care Quality and Education Act of 2007, introduced today by Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Representatives Dave Camp (R-MI) and John Lewis (D-GA). The Act establishes patient education and disease management programs to inform patients about how to identify and manage kidney disease and how to prevent kidney failure. The legislation also establishes a three-year Continuous Quality Improvement Initiative that would reward quality improvements based on measures developed in cooperation with the kidney care community and that would link a three-year update to clinical performance. Dialysis providers, unlike all other Medicare providers, do not have an automatic mechanism to update payments based on inflation. Adequate and stable reimbursement is critical to ensuring patient access to high-quality care. As physicians, nurses, dialysis providers, researchers, educators and a community as a whole, its our responsibility to address a very evident national health crisis, said Edward Jones, M.D., Chairman of Kidney Care Partners. By taking this essential first step, policymakers are helping to ensure that we can effectively care for Americans who need our help, as well as give them the tools they need to help themselves. Each year, more than 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with Eng Stage Renal Disease and require dialysis or a kidney transplant in order to survive. Today, more than 400,000 patients in the United States are living with kidney failure, and that number is expected to double in the next decade due to a dramatic rise in diabetes the number one cause of kidney disease as well as high blood pressure. Twenty million other Americans or one in nine have some form of kidney disease and are at risk of developing kidney failure absent some form of disease management education or preventative care. "The Kidney Care Quality and Education Act goes a long way to improve how we manage kidney disease. Educating patients tobetter manage their kidney disease makes good health sense and good financial sense," Senator Conrad said. "For people who do need dialysis, the Kidney Care Quality and Education Act ensures they will have access to the best quality care we can provide." The Kidney Care Quality and Education Act S. 691 in the Senate builds upon the previously introduced Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act from the 109th Congress. ###       >@U  ` d i t }vrvrvrvrn}r}g hiyhqh h@ hqhqhqh h 5\h h!&h 6]h!&h@6]h!&hh6]h!&h!&6]h!&h'#L6]h!& hv5\ h'#L5\hhhh5\hhh6s5\ h ++h ++h? h ++5\ h!&5\' 1>?@c d U kq $dha$gd ++dhgd xdhgdq$a$gd $a$gd!&$a$gdhgd?    . 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