Witness urges broader kidney screening, education and a new education benefit to reduce dialysis use
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Summary
At the hearing, Dr. Watnick recommended expanding primary-care screening for kidney disease, promoting preemptive transplants and home dialysis, and passing a broader "kidney disease education benefit" beginning at earlier disease stages to improve outcomes and reduce costs.
Dr. Watnick told lawmakers that wider screening and patient education could reduce reliance on dialysis and improve patient outcomes.
Congressman Warren told the witnesses that ESRD is a major Medicare expense, citing an annual figure "over $50,000,000,000" and saying the program spends about seven times per ESRD patient compared with the average Medicare beneficiary. He asked how Congress could better align incentives to encourage education and early detection.
Dr. Watnick said education must begin in primary care and emphasized screening for patients with chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes. "Some of them don't know to screen for kidney disease," she said, arguing that a partnership between primary care and community providers is essential.
She urged that education be provided earlier in disease progression so patients can choose optimal treatments. "If they are able to get a kidney transplant before they even start dialysis — called the preemptive kidney transplant — that's optimal for their health, quality of life, and for the taxpayer," Dr. Watnick said. She also noted that home dialysis therapies can improve quality of life and "is less expensive."
Dr. Watnick recommended passing a broader "kidney disease education benefit" that would extend education beyond later stages and into stage 3 so more patients receive timely information about transplant and home-dialysis options.
Congressman Warren concluded the questioning and yielded back in this excerpt.
