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Bill offers support for Iowa dialysis patients

2024-03-29T01:12:03+00:00August 24th, 2020|Categories: Patient Stories in the News|

High-risk patients have been one of the focal points of the public response to COVID-19. Now, as our leaders continue responding to this epidemic, they must pay particular attention to the impact their decisions will have on patients with end-stage renal disease, or ESRD, who rely on dialysis treatments to live.  Living with ESRD poses many unique challenges, as even common infections like the flu can be seriously dangerous for these patients. Many also suffer from additional health issues that compromise their immune systems, putting them further at risk.  However, ESRD patients’ treatment plans are often hindered by a lack [...]

Letter to the Editor

2024-03-29T01:12:03+00:00August 16th, 2020|Categories: Patient Stories in the News|

You might be hearing a lot about what’s not happening in the nation’s Capitol right now but one thing that is happening is the BETTER Kidney Care Act—to expand care coordination opportunities for dialysis patients. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed the health of kidney disease patients at risk more than ever before, while also showing the many challenges to ensuring their continuity of their care. Here’s a first-person take on the issue from Felice Moore, of Indianapolis: I’ve been on dialysis for 19 years, but my experience with dialysis treatments goes back even further to 1989, before I received my first kidney transplant. After my first transplant [...]

Difficult year for medical community

2024-03-29T01:12:03+00:00August 13th, 2020|Categories: Patient Stories in the News|

This has been a difficult year for the medical community as we do everything we can to combat the spread of COVID-19 while protecting the most vulnerable patients. One especially vulnerable group right now is patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), in large part because they see so many different doctors. They need to regularly see a primary care physician and nephrologist, and go in for dialysis multiple times a week. Many also have other health conditions like diabetes alongside their kidney disease. Unfortunately, these treatments often are not properly coordinated, meaning extra doctors’ appointments, higher costs, and sometimes even [...]

Opinion: New bill would provide boon to dialysis care

2024-03-29T01:12:03+00:00August 10th, 2020|Categories: Patient Stories in the News|

Protecting patients in the U.S. has been at the top of the public mind since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. Since March, people both here in Missouri and across the rest of the country have been taking steps to help curb the spread of the virus and keep each other safe, particularly those with other health issues that make them more susceptible to contracting the virus and having serious health problems as a result. Even with all we’ve done so far, however, there is still more we and our elected officials can do to protect high-risk Americans. One group [...]

DPC’s 2020 Annual Membership Survey is Live!

2024-03-29T01:12:03+00:00August 6th, 2020|Categories: 5-Star Ratings, Access to Transplant, Article, Care Coordination, Charitable Premium Assistance, Dental Coverage, Dialysis Funding, Get Involved, Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage, Innovation, Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, Medigap Coverage, Quality Incentive Program, Take Action, Transplant Donor Protection, Transportation Services, Treatment Options|Tags: |

Elevate the Voice of Patients with Kidney Disease and Their Caregivers Our 2020 Annual Membership Survey is live, and it will remain open until Friday, August 21. We are counting on your participation, as patient feedback helps to shape our public policy agenda and patient education priorities for the next year. This year we ask that both patients and caregivers take our survey. Rest assured your responses will remain completely anonymous. We only share the overall survey results with state and federal level policy makers, so they will better understand your needs, experiences, and preferences. Your feedback is crucial. Therefore, we will [...]

Action Alert – Help us Increase Patient Access to Immunosuppressive Medications

2024-03-29T01:12:03+00:00July 28th, 2020|Categories: Article, Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage, Medicare Advantage, News, Take Action|

The Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act (H.R. 5534, S. 3353) is gaining momentum in Congress, and we need your help continuing to get the word out. This bill was introduced by Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI) and Michael Burgess (R-TX), as well as Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA). This legislation would extend Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs beyond the current limit of 36 months for patients who are unable to obtain health insurance coverage elsewhere. Immunosuppressive medications play a critical role in preventing transplant recipients from rejecting a donor kidney. Right now, after dialysis patients receive a transplant, [...]

ESRD Community Honors the Legacy of Congressman John Lewis

2024-03-29T01:12:04+00:00July 27th, 2020|Categories: Medigap Coverage, News|

Our nation recently lost one of its most iconic and stalwart champions for justice in Congressman John Lewis. He dedicated his life to fighting for civil rights and social justice for all Americans, and his legacy will forever be remembered. Congressman Lewis was also one of the kidney community’s most consistent, trustworthy, and respected allies, and we join the nation in mourning his passing. Throughout his more than three decades in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Lewis was a champion for patients with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) and worked with them to increase access to treatment.  Specifically, he repeatedly introduced the Chronic Kidney Disease [...]

Letter to the Editor – BETTER Kidney Care Act

2024-03-29T01:12:04+00:00July 7th, 2020|Categories: Patient Stories in the News|

Since she was just three days old, my daughter has struggled with kidney failure. After over 30 years and three transplants, it’s become clear that more needs to be done to help kidney patients. Care coordination in particular needs a lot of attention. Without effective communication between doctors, things get harder for patients, and they can suffer serious health problems as a result. We’ve experienced this in my daughter’s care from the beginning. Medications and doses occasionally got mixed up when she was a baby, and recently a miscommunication between her doctors meant she was diagnosed with 40mg of one [...]

Dialysis Patient Citizens Files Lawsuit Against HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma Over New Regulation That Undercuts Dialysis Patient Access to Affordable, High-Quality Care

2024-03-29T01:12:04+00:00June 22nd, 2020|Categories: Care Coordination, Legal Defense, Medicare Advantage, News, Press Release|

WASHINGTON, D.C., (June 22, 2020) -- Today, Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in opposition to a discriminatory new federal regulation that will limit the ability of hundreds of thousands of End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients to access affordable, high quality treatment. “ESRD patients successfully fought to get Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that would ensure [...]

Letter: Helping Dialysis Patients

2024-03-29T01:12:04+00:00June 13th, 2020|Categories: Patient Stories in the News|

When my kidney issues started in 2009, I was fortunate enough to receive a donor kidney from my mother, which lasted until 2017. Unfortunately, new medications caused that kidney to fail and ultimately forced me to go on dialysis. Since starting dialysis I’ve worked with a great team at my local clinic that truly cares about me and even helps to coordinate dialysis treatments for me with other clinics when I travel for work. I’ve noticed recently, though, that I’ve had to play a bigger part in coordinating my own care when I see doctors outside of my clinic. Occasionally, [...]

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