Gary Peterson
Administrator
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posted 03-04-2002 08:40 AM
   
March 20, 2002 - The National Renal Administrators Association (NRAA) has formally endorsed the pre-ESRD patient education bill H.R. 3770, “The Kidney Disease Educational Benefits Act of 2002,” in letters to the legislation’s chief Congressional sponsors, Representatives Philip Crane (R-IL) and Gerald Kleczka (D-WI). The legislation would allow dialysis facilities and qualified staff to be reimbursed for providing up to six educational sessions for pre-ESRD beneficiaries who will require dialysis or a kidney transplant. News story from the NRAA.Here is RenalWEB's Legislation Coverage Page for H.R. 3770. March 4, 2002 - On February 14, 2002, federal legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives that would provide kidney disease education services for pre-ESRD patients. Here is a summary of the provisions of the bill from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). (link is no longer available) The legislation is entitled "Kidney Disease Educational Benefits Act of 2002". The bill calls for kidney disease education services that would: - provide patients with comprehensive information regarding:
- the management of comorbidities
- the prevention of uremic complications
- each option for renal replacement therapy (including peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis (including vascular access options), and transplantation)
- ensure that the individual has the opportunity to actively participate in the choice of therapy
The text of HR 3770 is now available on-line. The legislation was introduced by Phil Crane of Illinois and 15 other co-sponsors:Mr. Kleczka, Mr. Ehrlich, Mr. Strickland, Mr. Hayworth, Mr. Camp, Mrs. Thurman, Mr. Honda, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Whitfield, Mr. Tiahrt, Mr. Kirk, Mr. McNulty, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, and Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico. These educational services could be provided by a physician, registered nurse, registered dietitian or nutrition professional, clinical social worker, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist. Editors Note: Renal failure is one of the most complex chronic illnesses for an individual to manage. I believe everyone will agree this legislation is long overdue. As an example, the January 2002 issue of The American Journal of Kidney Diseases (AJKD) had an article entitled: "Cost-quality trade-offs in dialysis care: A national survey of dialysis facility administrators" - abstract of AJKD article The survey showed that dialysis facility administrators listed patient education programs as their top priority if additional funds were available. 157 of 280 dialysis facility administrators (56%) responded to a questionnaire asking them what changes they would make in response to increases or decreases in reimbursement. Their combined responses are listed here. Question 1: If your facility were to receive a 20% increase in reimbursement, what options would you select? Their responses were: - improve patient education programs - 62%
- improve facility amenities - 42%
- purchase new dialysis equipment - 30%
- provide more money for staff salaries - 28%
- increase the number of nursing staff - 21%
- develop quality improvement program - 20%
- plan to open another facility - 16%
- return more to investors - 10%
- offer larger dose of dialysis - 9%
- purchase more/higher quality supplies - 8%
[This message has been edited by Gary Peterson (edited 02-19-2003).]
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