Congressman Vic Snyder Visits UAMS Kidney Center
SEPT. 9, 2004 | U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder recently met with staff of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Kidney Center to learn more about end stage renal disease (ESRD) and other kidney diseases.
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 SEPT. 9, 2004 | U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder recently met with staff of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Kidney Center to learn more about end stage renal disease (ESRD) and other kidney diseases. Snyder’s visit was a part of a national campaign called “ESRD Education Day” organized by the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA). The purpose of ERSD Education Day was to invite legislators across the country to visit their local dialysis units and learn more about the needs of patients with ESRD. ESRD is kidney failure that requires a continuous course of dialysis therapy or a kidney transplant to maintain life. In 1972 Congress created an entitlement to Medicare for all persons with a diagnosis of permanent kidney failure. ESRD patients and providers depend on Medicare reimbursement to a greater extent than any other area of medicine, said Andrea Easom, an advanced practice nurse at the Kidney Center. However, Easom told Snyder, Congress hasn’t provided regular updates in Medicare’s ERSD reimbursement program, despite the challenges facing the renal community, such as nursing shortages and the growing number of patients with ERSD. “There also are major revisions in the reimbursement program expected for 2006 that may negatively impact dialysis revenue and create further need for cost savings in dialysis programs, and this is worrisome to us because our patients are sicker and require more care,” she said. Easom said there are 300,000 Americans on dialysis and 20 million Americans who have a kidney disorder. During Snyder’s visit, Easom talked to him about H.R. 4927 that was introduced to Congress on July 22. The measure asks Congress to modernize the ESRD program by providing more education for patients with chronic kidney disease so they can learn self-management skills. The legislation also asks Congress to provide an annual update mechanism for the ESRD composite rate, to assist patients by improving the home dialysis benefit and to ensure the economic stability of the ESRD Program by providing appropriate incentives for continued improvements in the quality of care patients receive. “If we can get support from Congress for chronic kidney disease education for patients, then we can teach them how to manage their disease and either slow the progression or prevent kidney failure. Patients needing to start dialysis might be healthier,” Easom said. Easom concluded Snyder’s visit by giving him a tour of the dialysis unit so he could see, firsthand, patients receiving dialysis. “The more we can educate all legislators about our patients’ experiences by showing them a fully functioning dialysis unit, the better prepared they are to make decisions with regard to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement,” said ANNA President Leslie C. Dinwiddie in a press release. Snyder said it is important to educate politicians on these issues, and he will do what he can to support H.R. 4927. Links on This Page American Nephrology Nurses’ Association: www.annanurse.org UAMS Division of Nephrology: www.uams.edu/dim/Renal/
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