Leading Edge: Policy-Advocacy
Reminder: CMS 2017 Open Payments data available for review and dispute until December 31
Program Year 2017 Open Payments data is available for review and dispute through December 31, 2018.
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Leading Edge: Policy-Advocacy
CMS Proposes Rule Change to Medicare Part D Exemptions for "Protected" Classes of Drugs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule yesterday, November 26, 2018, that includes changes to Medicare Advantage and Part D. Medicare says its proposal will give Part D drug plans more power to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies, but some patient and provider groups say that it will reduce access and shift costs onto beneficiaries.
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Telehealth Use Up 65 Percent from 2014-16
Please see more information on telehealth in a recent Kidney News Online post by David White, the ASN Policy and Advocacy Specialist.
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Leading Edge: Policy-Advocacy
Medicare Releases FInal Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Rule, Including Revisions to E&M Codes
Thursday afternoon, November 1, Medicare released the final Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) rule containing some revisions to evaluation and management (E&M) codes in terms of documentation requirements but no changes in reimbursement levels for the next two years – but year three is another matter.
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Perspectives
ASN Communities Releases Mobile App for iOS and Android Users
The new easy-to-navigate Communities App gives you the capability to post questions, reply to threads, and connect with colleagues in just a few taps.
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JASN and CJASN Honor 2018 Top 5 Reviewers
This past week, during Kidney Week in San Diego, CA, the ASN journals honored their top five reviewers from 2018. Reviewers are an integral part of the process for peer-reviewed journals, and the Journal of American Society of Nephrology (JASN) and the Clinical Journal American Society of Nephrology (CJASN) wanted to show their appreciation.
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Perspectives
Kidney News Online Readership Doubles Since Last Year
In September 2018, Kidney News Online (KNO) reached its largest readership numbers since its beginning in March 2016.
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Perspectives
The Renal Fellow Network, A Fellow’s Perspective
As a trainee newly entering a subspecialty, the sources of information online can be both innumerable and overwhelming. Where can a fellow turn to find the latest updates and interesting cases all in a one-stop-shop source? The Renal Fellow Network (RFN)!
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Perspectives
New App Helps Kidney Disease Patients Self-Manage Eating Habits, Acitivity, and Medications
“A new app to help individuals with kidney disease track daily eating habits, daily activities, medications and efforts to self-manage their disease is being tested”.
With development lead by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the American Association of Kidney Patients, and the American Society of Nephrology, the app is in “beta phase testing” but will eventually be released to veterans, as well as the general public.
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Perspectives
3 Tips for Better PhD Candidate and Principal Investigator Meetings
Principal investigators (PIs) are an integral part of the PhD student experience and they can offer a wealth of knowledge and experience that is worthwhile to utilize. The mentoring meetings offer an excellent opportunity to ask questions and round out your education, so it’s important to take advantage of the one-on-one opportunities.
Three tips or practices that help to optimize this time are:
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Perspectives
Dr. Shivam Joshi speaks about plant-based diets and the relationship with CKD in recent study: "Adequacy of Plant-Based Proteins in Chronic Kidney Disease”
A recent study was published online in the Journal of Renal Nutrition entitled “Adequacy of Plant-Based Proteins in Chronic Kidney Disease” on August 16, 2018. To get a behind-the-scenes look into the recent study, Kidney News Online asked Dr. Shivam Joshi, a physician and faculty member at the New York University School of Medicine, to answer several questions about the findings and what they mean for the future.
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Q&As with ASN Foundation Grant Recipients 2018
The following articles are brief Q&A sessions with American Society of Nephrology (ASN) grant recipients. The sessions explore what research the individual is undertaking with the grant funds, their hopes for the research, career goals, and advice for others interested in applying for these grant funds.
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Call to Action to Alleviate Symptoms for Dialysis Patients
While dialysis is a life-saving therapy for patients with end stage kidney disease (ESKD), a variety of symptoms occur following treatment that significantly diminishes the quality of life of people living with kidney disease. A 2009 study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN) reported that patients on maintenance dialysis experience 11 unique symptoms.
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“5 Tips for Understanding Data in Meta-Analyses”
Meta-analysis “is a group of statistical techniques that enable data from more than one study to be combined and analyzed as a new dataset”. As we are inundated with scientific studies of all kinds, meta-analysis can be a useful technique to better understand comparisons of findings from data. However, it can be a confusing technique at first glance, so the author has delved into five tips to better understand the conclusions from meta-analysis.
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ASN Appoints New Co-Chair for the Kidney Health Initiative
The American Society Nephrology (ASN) is pleased to announce that Raymond C. Harris, MD, FASN, has been selected as the incoming ASN Co-Chair for the Kidney Health Initiative (KHI). Dr.
Resources
ASN Releases 2018 Nephrology Fellow Survey Report
A new analysis finds leading indicators point to an improving job market and rising salaries for nephrologists entering practice. ASN released the analysis of the society’s annual survey of nephrology fellows in training—Report on the Survey of 2018 Nephrology Fellows—authored by George Washington University researchers.
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New NephSAP Issue - "Secondary Glomerular Diseases"
NephSAP Volume 17, Number 4, September 2018
Please read the full issue.
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Resources
Redesign of Online ASN Journals Ready to Improve User Experience
The Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) and the Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology (CJASN) online platforms have been relaunched with increased functionality and a new interface providing readers with an on-the-go experience designed for all devices.
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Resources
Google’s new Dataset Search aims to assist researchers find online data
Google’s launch of Dataset Search on September 5 is a great step forward for researchers in search of data online that is “freely available to use”. Aimed at “scientists, data journalists, data geeks, or anyone else” the new service will provide a service that assists the open-data movement by providing a simpler way to find and re-use data from “government agencies, scientific publishers, research institutions and even individual researchers”.
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Opinion: Re-establishing trust and improving outcomes in Nephrology
To re-establish trust and improve outcomes, we must carry health equity from “the bedside to the curbside.” From research and discovery, to policy and advocacy, nephrologists must engage directly with community members, stakeholders, and lawmakers. Minority communities need to see nephrologists in their schools, houses of worship, block parties, and community centers.
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Electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs) are gaining traction
Electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNS) are increasingly being used by researchers and scientists. “ELNs comprise software that helps researchers to document experiments, and that often has features such as protocol templates, collaboration tools, support for electronic signatures and the ability to manage the lab inventory".
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5 Things Physicians and Patients Should Question in Pediatric Nephrology - The Choose Wisely Campaign
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in conjunction with the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN), as part of the Choosing Wisely® campaign, recently “released a list of specific nephrology tests and procedures that are commonly ordered but not always necessary when treating children for kidney-related conditions”.
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Catalogue on research metrics
The article provides a unique catalogue of useful articles for guidance and support for researchers, journal editors, and librarians as well as overarching tips for better selecting where to publish your research, how best to edit a journal, and how to guide colleagues as a librarian.
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Data Visualizations: Considering color choices
Lisa Charlotte Rost delves into what you should consider when choosing colors for data visualization. With the powerful potential of visualizations in relaying conclusions within a short burst of attention, color choices can make or break their effectiveness.
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A Call for Kidney Week Abstract Submissions
Only two weeks left to submit your research or clinical case report for the 2018 Kidney Week, the largest nephrology meeting in the world.
Submission will be accepted through 2:00 PM EDT on May 31.
Don't miss this valuable opportunity to present to nephrologists and thought leaders in the field from around the globe.
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Catalog of Biases in health studies
The culmination of collaborative work between the Centre of Evidence-Based Medicine and the University of Oxford, the website, Catalogue of Biases, is a complete database of possible biases that inadvertently make their way into scientific research.
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Donald W. Seldin, who built UT Southwestern into a medical powerhouse, dies at 97
His innovations included an approach to medicine that placed an equal emphasis on medical research, teaching and the treatment of patients — a tripartite method that “wasn’t obvious to a lot of people at the time,” Braunwald said.
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How to Design an Award-Winning Conference Poster
In this humorous piece by Dr. Tullio Rossi, How to Design an Award-Winning Conference Poster, a conference poster is described as being two things simultaneously: a networking tool and a communication tool.
The poster should attract people’s attention and serve as a conversation starter. It should also be accessible and drive attention to your research. “A scientific poster is simply a visual abstract”.
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CVS Health announces a new initiative focused on kidney care and home dialysis treatment
On April 4th, 2018, CVS Health “announced a new initiative focused on chronic kidney disease and dialysis, which builds upon the company's focus on driving innovation in the management of chronic disease to help improve patient health outcomes while managing costs. This new program will focus on early identification of kidney disease and expansion of home dialysis in order to optimize care for patients with chronic kidney disease. CVS Health's unique enterprise assets along with...
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Resources
Which statistical tests should I use?
In a piece published by Evidence-Based Nursing, Allison Shorten and Brett Shorten describe different research scenarios and detail which statistical tests may be the most appropriate for the researchers to utilize.
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Resources
New NephSAP Issue - "Hypertension"
NephSAP Volume 17, Number 1, March 2018
Find the full issue here.
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In Practice
Outside ASN: Nigeria addressing rising cases and high cost of treating CKD
"Nigeria, on March 8, joined the rest of the world to celebrate the World Kidney Day (WKD). A day set aside to raise awareness on the plight of people living with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and how to better prevent, treat and manage 'the disease'".
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In Practice
NY Times: The Challenge of Doctor-Patient Relations in the Internet Age
A recent article by Doris Iarovicic, a psychiatrist at Hardvard University's Counseling and Mental Health Services, details her experience with patients who prefer the "expertise" of the digital world to the expertise of in-person physicians.
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In Practice
Fewer international doctors seeking U.S. jobs – potentially due to ongoing immigration shakeup
National healthcare recruiting company The Medicus Firm said it placed the lowest percentage of internationally trained physicians in 2017 in at least seven years. The percentage of internationally trained physicians placed by Medicus dropped to 24%, down seven points from nearly 32% in 2016, according to the report.
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In Practice
Kidney Health Initiative (KHI): Prioritizing Symptoms of ESRD Patients for Developing Therapeutic Interventions workshop
The “Prioritizing Symptoms of ESRD Patients for Developing Therapeutic Interventions” workshop took place from January 8th through January 10th in Washington, DC. The meeting convened various stakeholders, including patients and care givers. Discussion centered around three symptoms of ESRD that were identified as priorities through previous patient focus groups: Fatigue, Insomnia, and Muscle Cramps.
The goal of the meeting was to:
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Resources
NY Times: Diabetes in Pregnancy Raises Risk of Heart Disease
The women who had gestational diabetes were 20 times as likely as controls to develop Type 2 diabetes, consistent with previous studies, and the risk was highest in the first year after giving birth. In addition, these women were 2.8 times as likely to have heart disease, and nearly twice as likely to develop high blood pressure. The researchers controlled for age, body mass index, ethnicity, smoking and other variables.
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PLOS Blogs: 6 tips for deciphering outcomes in health studies
As studies published become more convoluted with jargon and specific measurement techniques that can be confusing and/or misleading, it’s important to be able to get down to the measured outcomes quickly and with clarity.
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Negotiating for Leadership Success
This past spring, ASN joined with Women in Nephrology (WIN) to develop a series of webinars designed to help you advance your career. In one of these presentations, Dr. Yasmin Davidds, Psy. D, M.C.C., and CEO of the Women’s Institute of Negotiation, provides advice on negotiating for leadership success.
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FDA approved new type II diabetes drug
The new drug, developed by Merck & Co and Pfizer Inc., is an oral drug known generically as ertugliflozin and in the class of SGLT2 inhibitors, which work to expel excess glucose through urine.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug early this week. The drug is expected to be available for sale in early 2018.
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ASN Data Bytes: AY 2018 Nephrology Match - Déjà vu all over again
December 6th was Match Day for nephrology, with overall results closely mirroring those from last year. A total of 285 of the 474 positions offered for appointment year (AY) 2018 were filled in the nephrology Match, part of the National Resident Matching Program’s (NRMP’s) Medical Specialties Matching Program.
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Outside ASN: Designing ‘attention points’ in academic work
Professor Patrick Dunleavy at the London School of Economics writes about “four principles for improving how you display tables, graphs, charts and diagrams” in academic or scientific research.
The four principles include:
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Reminder: PQRS Physician Compare 30-day preview period ends Friday, December 1 at 8pm ET
"The Physician Compare 30-day preview period ends this Friday, December 1, 2017 at 8 pm ET. Don’t miss your chance to preview your 2016 performance data before it is publicly reported on Physician Compare profile pages later this year and in the Physician Compare Downloadable Database.
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Resources
New NephSAP issue - "Transplantation"
NephSAP Volume 16, Number 4, November 2017
Find the full issue here.
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Resources
Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) to be added to Medicare benefits in 2018
The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) expanded model is a structured behavior change intervention that aims to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes among Medicare beneficiaries with an indication of prediabetes.
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Resources
New tool, HIPAA Alliance Marketplace, helps find HIPAA compliant business associates
"Healthcare organizations are only permitted to use business associates that agree to comply with HIPAA Rules and sign a business associate agreement, but finding HIPAA compliant business associates can be a challenge.
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In Practice
Inside the UCLA voucher program that is overcoming chronological incompatibility and saving lives
The UCLA Kidney Transplant Program started a voucher program in 2014 which has already proven its utility and saved 25 lives. “The program works like this: The voucher donor gives a kidney to a stranger on dialysis. Often that recipient had a friend or family member who had wanted to be a donor but couldn’t due to incompatibility.
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Resources
Conducting Trials in Nephrology: Challenges and Conclusions
"The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) group convened a meeting of stakeholders in September 2016 to identify challenges and make recommendations to improve trial data in nephrology[1] Their conclusions were made public nearly 8 months later and are briefly reported in the full article on Medscape".
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American Heart Association (AHA) to announce 130/80 mm Hg as new BP guideline
It’s been revealed ahead of the November announcement at the American Heart Association (AHA) in Anaheim, that the new guideline for blood pressure target will be 130/80 mm Hg.
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The Undifferentiated Medical Student: 2 recent podcasts on Nephrology
The Undifferentiated Medical Student is a podcast started in November 2016 with the goal of “doing interviews with one physician from each of the 120+ specialties and subspecialties listed on the AAMC’s Careers in Medicine website” in order to empower medical school students to think about choosing their specialty and planning their careers.
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Comments and advice on how to read a journal’s rejection letter
Stephen Heard, an evolutionary ecologist and entomologist at the University of New Brunswick and previously faculty at the University of Iowa, recently published a short blog detailing how best to read and react to a rejection letter after submitting your work to a journal.
Click here if you’d like to read the full blog.
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New NephSAP issue - "Chronic Kidney Disease and Progression"
NephSAP Volume 16, Number 3, September 2017
Find the full issue here.
Chronic Kidney Disease and Progression
Over 20 million people in the U.S. have CKD stages 1-5, and costs for advanced CKD exceed $47 billion annually. The 2017 Chronic Kidney Disease issue of NephSAP guides readers through the latest advances in clinical research for this...
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Targeting Zero Infections: Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms (MDROs) and Antimicrobial Stewardship in the Dialysis Facility
Registration is now open for the second webinar in the Nephrologists...
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In Practice
Join the conversation on Hurricane Harvey
To join the conversation on the affects of Hurricane Harvey on dialysis and kidney care, please sign in and see the "Supporting our Texas Colleagues" forum on ASN Communities. Share your experience and knowledge with peers.
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In Practice
JAMA: "Risk factors for Melanoma in renal transplant recipients"
An original investigation published online by JAMA Dermatology on July 26, 2017 found that "renal transplant recipients had greater risk of developing melanoma compared with their non-renal transplant counterparts. Risk factors for developing melanoma included older, age, male sex, recipient white race, living donors, sirolimus therapy, and cyclosporine therapy".
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In Practice
Quality Payment Program Hardship Exception Application for the 2017 Transition Year Is Now Open
Clinicians can now submit Quality Payment Program Hardship Exception Applications
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7 CRISPR projects in US receive $65 million total funding from DARPA
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced $65 million in funding on July 19th, 2017 to seven projects in the US to further improve safety and accuracy of gene editing.
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HHS Office for Civil Rights warns of potential risks with file sharing, HIPAA
“The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has recently issued a reminder to covered entities and business associates of the potential risks associated with file sharing and collaboration tools, explaining the risks these services can introduce and how covered entities can use these services and remain in compliance with HIPAA Rules”.
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MACRA Resources: What Physicians Need to Know
In April 2015, the the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) was signed into law, repealing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) physician payment system. In April of 2016, HHS Issued a Proposed Rule. In October of 2016, CMS Issued a Final Rule. Below are some resources to help you understand more about MACRA.
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CMS Released Proposed Rule, Quality Payment Program (QPP) for 2018
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Quality Payment Program (QPP) proposed rule for 2018 on Tuesday, June 20. While we are only beginning to go through the proposed rule, all 1,058 pages, it does appear that CMS is concerned about the burden of participating in the program on small practices leading to a significant proposed rise in the low-volume threshold.
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NIH Launches Next Generation Researchers Initiative
As a result, NIH has shifted its strategy to support early and mid-career investigators by launching the Next Generation Researchers Initiative. This new program will go into effect immediately.
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VA Center for Innovation Releases Broad Agency Announcement for Funding Pioneering Kidney Projects
Building upon momentum from the Kidney Innovation Summit hosted earlier this year by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), along with support from the American Society of Nephrology, the VA Center for Innovation (VACI) released a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) this week designed to source and fund early stage research, development, prototyping, and piloting of pioneering ideas in the kidney space.
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Making Scientific Presentations
Making great abstracts and posters, and presenting your studies so you hold your audience's interest -- some excellent resources for making your work stand out.
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Open Payments Physician and Teaching Hospital Review and Dispute Period Ends Next Week
Physicians and teaching hospitals have until May 15, 2017 to review data reported by drug and medical device makers about them and, if necessary, dispute the payments before the data is made public on June 30, 2017.
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JASN - Gene Editing: Powerful New Tools for Nephrology Research and Therapy
In the October 2016 issue of JASN the following article was published focused on new technology, especially the CRISPR/Cas system, and how it may be used for nephrology research and therapy.
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Gene Editing Technology
Check out the resources on gene editing: background, pros and cons, potential clinical applications.
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Resources
ASN Data Bytes: Academics Offer Diverging Opinions on Nephrology Procedures
A recent ASN Flash Poll found differing opinions among academic nephrologists over procedures, specifically catheter placements and kidney biopsies. Stewart Lecker, MD, PhD, on behalf of the ASN Workforce and Training Committee, developed the survey to capture current perspectives on procedural competence among training program directors (TPDs), associate TPDs (APDs), and division chiefs.
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Resources for Authors: Writing Well, Navigating Peer Review
Set yourself and your work up for success: tell the story well, and choose the right journal.
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Physician Contract Negotiation
Physician protect thyself: whether negotiating a first-time contract or renegotiating or amending a contract -- make sure you're informed in advance.
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On Site at Kidney Week
Check out these photos from Kidney Week, including some of the things you may not know about, or may have missed.
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NTDS Town Hall Generates Interest at Kidney Week
Thursday's Town Hall meeting on the new Nephrologists Transforming Dialysis Safety (NTDS) project drew a lot of interest and some great questions.
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ASN Kidney Week 2016
ASN Kidney Week 2016: participants from more than 115 countries, coming together to advance care and research.
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Physician Reentry
Physicians reentering the resource face challenges; resources to help them are expanding.
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Clinical Research
Kidney News Online has compiled a list of clinical research resources that may be useful to you.
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Resources
Telehealth Resources
Treatment, research and practice are being profoundly changed by a wide range of technological advances. Below are some resources to help kidney professionals consider the ramifications of this rapidly moving field. Send suggestions for other resources to info@kidneynews.org, as well as topics in telehealth you would like to know more about.
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Directory of State Medical and Osteopathic Boards
From the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB): http://www.fsmb.org/state-medical-boards/contacts
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ICD 10 Resources
Pain free implementation? Challenges? Suggest other resources that may be useful to your colleagues, or send in your thoughts and observations about ICD 10 implementation. (info@kidneynews.org)
CMS ICD 10 Coordination Center: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10/ICD10OmbudsmanandICD10CoordinationCenterICC.html
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Communities at ASN
ASN Communities offer multiple opportunities to connect with colleagues working in the areas that interest you most. Check out this rapidly growing and dynamic ASN initiative here.
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Nephrology Fellowship Match Resources
Training the next generation of nephrologists is exciting and vital to advancing care for millions of people with kidney diseases. ASN sponsors the Nephrology Match and provides information for applicants and programs here.
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Nephrology Workforce
ASN and researchers at the George Washington University Health Workforce Institute continue to break ground analyzing trends and key factors.
Detailed workforce analyses and fellows' surveys are available here: http://www.asn-online.org/workforce/
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