Coalition Offers Broad Framework to Improve Kidney Care

A coalition of patient advocates, dialysis-care providers and manufacturers today will unveil a comprehensive new framework for kidney care across the country that identifies four goals: improve survival, reduce hospitalizations, improve health-related quality of life, and improve patient experience with care.

Kidney Care Partners—established in 2003 to improve care for people with chronic kidney disease—will release A Strategic Blueprint for Advancing Kidney Care Quality (PDF), after more than a year of work on the ambitious plan. The blueprint will also be the focus of a webinar on world kidney day on March 13.

The blueprint cites data from the U.S. Renal Data System that roughly 615,000 adults and about 9,000 children lived with end-stage renal disease in 2011 and required either dialysis or a transplant to survive. While there have been recent improvements in kidney care, members of Kidney Care Partners thought more needed to be done. At a meeting roughly two years ago, members discussed ways to drive quality in this segment and determined they needed to step back and establish priorities.

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Source: Modern Healthcare