Brian Hess, a lifelong kidney advocate, passed away on December 3, 2020.
Despite being diagnosed with kidney disease at a young age and undergoing dialysis for the majority of his life, Brian refused to let kidney disease slow him down. Brian graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma while maintaining his dialysis regime.
Today the US Senate passed the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act, extending Medicare coverage of life saving immunosuppressive medications for the life of the kidney transplant. This welcome advance will take effect in 2023.
This tremendous advance results from countless hours of advocacy by ASN members and stakeholders throughout the kidney and transplant communities
On Thursday, December 17 from 5:00 - 6:30 pm EST the American Society of Nephrology will host a webinar reviewing key components of the ESRD Treatment Choices (ETC) Model (going into effect January 1, 2021).
Dialysis patients incur a greater burden of illness compared to the general population, and those dependent on maintenance dialysis are extremely vulnerable to the effects of infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, observe the authors of a recent article, “Prioritizing COVID-19 Vaccination in Dialysis.”
To read the article, click here.
Bipartisan bill has been ASN's top legislative priority since 2009
Congress is passing the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act as part of priority year-end package.
Nephrologists will receive boosts in payments – especially in the rate for reimbursement for home dialysis – starting on January 1, 2021, according a final rule recently issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The increases to nephrologists’ reimbursements were part of a multi-year push by ASN to increase the values incorporated in those reimbursement calculations.
Participating clinicians should begin the application process now.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it is accepting the impact of COVID-19 as a condition for applying for an Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances exemption in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).
Final rule applies new standards to organ procurement in the U.S.
The United States Renal Data System released its 2020 Annual Data Report, featuring the latest data accumulated through 2018. This report, funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases, provides an overview of the impact of kidney disease on the US population. The annual report developed by the USRDS serves as an invaluable resource for ASN and the kidney community in determining policy priorities and advocacy efforts.
Nearly 50% of US nephrologists are graduates of international medical schools . These individuals provide critical care in our nation’s teaching hospitals and in areas facing critical physician shortages, fight the COVID-19 pandemic on the front lines, and conduct pioneering research in labs across the country.
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