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Challenges, Opportunities, and Innovation in End Stage Kidney Disease and Transplantation

2026-06-10T15:39:22-04:00June 10th, 2026|Categories: Dialysis, Kidney Transplant, The Kidney Citizen, Treatment|

Dr. Velma Scantlebury, MD, FACS, GCM, DPC Education Center Health Care Consultant Over 90,000 patients sit on dialysis awaiting kidney transplantation, and thousands more are on some form of dialysis modality, with the hope of maintaining life without a kidney transplant. From chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end stage kidney disease (ESKD) there are significant challenges for both patients and healthcare providers, including delays in the onset of dialysis, complications associated with dialysis, limited access to donor organs and the need for lifelong immunosuppression following transplantation. Additionally, socioeconomic disparities and geographic barriers often impact the quality and availability [...]

Kidney Innovators Highlight New Therapies, Medicare Challenges at Congressional Hearing

2026-06-10T15:19:13-04:00June 10th, 2026|Categories: Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, The Kidney Citizen, Treatment|

Jackson Williams, DPC Vice President of Public Policy On March 18, 2026, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health held a hearing titled “Improving Kidney Health Through Better Prevention and Innovative Treatment”. This hearing allowed patients, providers, and other stakeholders to highlight the struggles many kidney patients face and the barriers that prevent them from accessing better, innovative treatment. This was exciting for kidney care advocates, as challenges have mounted since Congress last addressed kidney health in 2008. Better still, the questions from Members of Congress demonstrated that committee leaders understand those challenges and potential solutions. They are [...]

Dialysis patients are missing out on new therapies due to Medicare’s ESRD payment structure

2026-06-10T14:44:40-04:00June 10th, 2026|Categories: Costs for Treatment, Medication, Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, The Kidney Citizen, Treatment|

Quiana Bishop, DPC Board President While dialysis treatments sustain life for people with kidney failure, they cannot replace all of the many functions of a healthy kidney. Patients rely on medications to address certain symptoms. As of January 1, 2025, all of these medications are included in the ESRD prospective payment system bundle and dialysis facilities are given the responsibility of dispensing them. This arrangement saves money for Medicare, but it does so by creating a profile for an “average patient” and discouraging expenditures on anyone else. As we know, there’s no such thing as an “average” patient, with [...]

High-Volume Hemodiafiltration: Understanding a Dialysis Treatment Approach

2026-06-10T14:25:45-04:00June 10th, 2026|Categories: Dialysis, In-Center Hemodialysis, The Kidney Citizen, Treatment|

Dr. Stefano Stuard, MD, PhD, Nephrologist Dr. Michael Anger, MD, Nephrologist   Overview: Hemodiafiltration (HDF) is a type of dialysis that cleans the blood using two cleaning processes: diffusion and convection. Standard hemodialysis mainly relies on diffusion alone. Diffusion and convection remove waste in different ways. Diffusion helps remove smaller waste products, while convection helps move larger waste substances out of the blood. Using both processes allows for a broader range of waste removal during treatment. High-volume hemodiafiltration refers to HDF treatments that use a larger amount of clean, sterile replacement fluid during the dialysis session, [...]

The Kidney Citizen Issue 23

2026-06-01T13:01:04-04:00June 1st, 2026|Categories: The Kidney Citizen, The Kidney Citizen (Issue)|

Welcome to the Innovation and Empowerment issue of the Kidney Citizen! The DPC Education Center is excited to share with you this latest issue that is all about expanding treatment options, staying hopeful through the journey, and advocating for new and innovative therapies to help kidney patients live their best lives.

Living Well with Kidney Disease

2025-10-10T14:57:01-04:00October 1st, 2025|Categories: Dialysis, Immunizations, Lifestyle, Medication, Mental Health, Nutrition, Physical Health, Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, The Kidney Citizen|

Velma Scantlebury MD, FACS, GCM, DPC Education Center Health Care Consultant In the United States, there are over 35 million persons who have chronic kidney disease, which accounts for one in every seven adults. Unfortunately, many millions also have chronic kidney disease and are not aware of the diagnosis. However, having chronic kidney disease may mean having to alter some of your lifestyle habits to protect your kidney function, but many of us must make sacrifices to stay healthy: limiting fats and high calorie drinks, increasing vegetables and healthy greens, and engaging in regular physical activity. However, with hypertension [...]

Why Medicare’s Payment System Keeps New Dialysis Drugs from Reaching Patients

2025-05-07T13:39:04-04:00May 7th, 2025|Categories: Costs for Treatment, Dialysis, Kidney Transplant, Medication, Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, The Kidney Citizen|

Jackson Williams, DPC Vice President of Public Policy Payment bundling is a technique Medicare uses to increase efficiency and reduce low-value care during a treatment episode. Congress adopted a payment bundle for dialysis a decade ago and for several years it worked well. But trade-offs are inherent in bundles and there is always potential for a negative impact on consumers. This negative experience has arrived for dialysis patients in the form of non—prescribing of new drugs. Patients are missing out on improvements to their health and quality of life. A bundled payment sets a maximum price for all [...]

Do You Ask Questions?

2025-02-10T12:17:06-05:00February 10th, 2025|Categories: eNews, Physical Health, Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, Treatment|

Whether you were just diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), on dialysis, or transplanted, it is important to ask providers questions about whatever it is that you do not understand about your healthcare. Remember, providers treat symptoms! If you do not tell them if something does not feel “normal”, it is more difficult for the provider to help solve the concern. Lab tests are crucial for all patients. The results help a provider to determine the progress of a patient’s overall health. At the same time, a patient should ASK QUESTIONS if not understanding when a provider reviews the results [...]

Ask the Doctor September 2024

2024-09-23T13:54:19-04:00September 23rd, 2024|Categories: Dialysis, Hemodialysis, Kidney Transplant, Medication, Physical Health, The Kidney Citizen|

Velma Scantlebury, MD, DPC Education Center Health Care Consultant 1. I have been on dialysis for three months. After treatment in the dialysis facility, I am tired and feel bloated. When will I begin to feel better? Dialysis removes excess fluid and waste products. This happens by shifting fluid from one compartment so that the dialysis process can remove the extra fluid. This «dialysis fatigue» is experienced by about 50% of patients. Anemia, electrolyte imbalance, and stress can also be contributors to the condition. Many recommend getting plenty of rest, eating more protein, eating a balanced diet, and [...]

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