Online Publication Date:
18 Sep 2020
Statement from the American Society of Nephrology on the End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices Model

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) commends the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and its Innovation Center (CMMI) for finalizing the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Treatment Choices (ETC) Model today. This model will herald positive changes to care for the more than 37 million Americans with kidney diseases, including more patient choice, increased utilization of home dialysis, and greater access to transplantation, options for which ASN has long advocated.

 

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) commends the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and its Innovation Center (CMMI) for finalizing the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Treatment Choices (ETC) Model today. This model will herald positive changes to care for the more than 37 million Americans with kidney diseases, including more patient choice, increased utilization of home dialysis, and greater access to transplantation, options for which ASN has long advocated.

“We were pleased to see that CMMI adopted many of ASN’s recommendations to improve the model and ensure its success on behalf of patients,” said ASN President Anupam Agarwal, MD, FASN. “The society stands ready to work with its members and kidney patient organizations to achieve high quality outcomes for kidney patients through this model. In the United States, only 12 percent of the total dialysis population use home dialysis despite the evidence of improved outcomes and quality of life. We can, and we will, do better.”. 

Dr. Agarwal added, “Together, both the finalized ETC Model and the Kidney Care Choices Model represent substantive efforts to improve patient access and choice, by focusing upstream to slow the progression of kidney disease, encouraging access to and use of home dialysis, and increasing pre-emptive transplants and the overall transplant rate.”

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