Healthmap Blog

It’s National Heart Month….So Why are We Talking About the Kidneys?

February is American Heart Month and this year the focus is on hypertension, often referred to as high blood pressure. In the U.S., 30.3 million American adults have been diagnosed with heart disease , the leading cause of death in our country—and across the world, for men and women of all races. One of the major risk factors for developing heart disease is hypertension, a condition that affects 33.2%, of Americans aged 20+, and only one in four have the condition under control.

In-Home Dialysis: Better Outcomes, Patient Experience and Costs

For ESRD patients, in-center dialysis has been the paradigm for dialysis management.. Of the number of newly diagnosed ESRD patients, 33% may have received little to no pre-ESRD nephrology care, and often “crash” into dialysis when renal failure drives them to the ER. For the majority of these patients, who are often unaware of their disease, overwhelmed by their diagnosis, and unaware of their options, in-center dialysis became the only option and today, continues to be the modality of choice.

The Countdown to the Cures Act: The Time for MA Plans to Prepare is Now

The Cures Act opens the door for previously ineligible end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to enroll in a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan starting this fall. CMS expects an increase in the number of ESRD MA plan beneficiaries by 63%. ESRD patients are highly-complex and high-cost to care for and treat. MA plans still have time to get ready.

The Number of ESRD Patients Continue to Rise: Three Steps to Ben the Trend

An alarming trend continues: the number of people living with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has climbed by approximately 20,000 each year over the past decade. Based on this trajectory, the number is expected to surpass 800,000 this year. This situation risks being exacerbated by the number of COVID-19 Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) survivors who developed renal failure while hospitalized and required emergency dialysis to survive. It’s well established that AKI increases the risk of developing kidney disease. In fact, 31% of people who develop AKI while hospitalized are diagnosed with kidney disease, the precursor to ESRD, within a year of being discharged.

In-Home Dialysis: Better Outcomes, Patient Experience and Costs

For ESRD patients, in-center dialysis has been the paradigm for dialysis management.. Of the number of newly diagnosed ESRD patients, 33% may have received little to no pre-ESRD nephrology care, and often “crash” into dialysis when renal failure drives them to the ER. For the majority of these patients, who are often unaware of their disease, overwhelmed by their diagnosis, and unaware of their options, in-center dialysis became the only option and today, continues to be the modality of choice.