Only 40% of Medicare Beneficiaries with Diabetes Get Recommended Kidney Health Testing | Study Reveals Alarming Disparities in Chronic Kidney Disease Testing and Highlights Path to Equitable Care for Americans living with Diabetes
An estimated 37 million adults in the United States have chronic kidney disease (CKD) and approximately 90 percent don’t know they have it. Risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity along with family history; 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk.
A retrospective cohort study to evaluate the fulfillment and validity of the Kidney Health Evaluation for People with Diabetes (KED) was conducted on more than 7 million U.S. adults with diabetes. The study found that 32.2 percent of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries received yearly eGFR and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio testing and 38.7 percent of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries met testing protocols.
The National Kidney Foundation is urging providers to prioritize CKD testing for Medicare beneficiaries and all individuals with diabetes. Learn more about this study and accompanying guidance.
“Kidney health testing is pivotal to ensuring timely diagnosis and equitable treatment of CKD,” Joseph Vassalotti, MD, NKF chief medical officer, wrote in a press release. “We want health care professionals, policymakers and communities to use KED guidance as an important step in the roadmap to counter the significant public health challenge posed by undetected and untreated CKD.”
Visit the Great Plains QIN Chronic Disease Management page for additional information and resources.
Focus for Health Series | Chronic Kidney Disease…Prevent, Manage, and Protect Kidney Health
- Week One: Chronic Kidney Disease – An Unrecognized Public Health Issue | Recording
- Week Two: A Provider’s Role With Chronic Kidney Disease | Recording
- Week Three: Management of CKD to Prevent ESRD I Recording
- Week Four: Chronic Kidney Disease Case Study | Recording
Listen to our Podcast – Q-Tips For Your Ears!
Encourage your patients and families to listen to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)…Could you have it and not know it? Learn what you can do to help prevent CKD and lower your risk for kidney failure