The University Hospital to Educate Legislators abo

The University Hospital to Educate Legislators about
End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) as part of National Campaign

Cincinnati--The University Hospital will take part in a national education day about End Stage Renal (kidney) Disease (ESRD) for lawmakers on Aug. 13 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at The University Hospital. U.S. Representative Steve Chabot will be attending. Members of the media are also invited to attend. Lawmakers and media will tour and meet with administrators, dialysis experts and physicians to discuss care provided to patients with ESRD. ESRD Education Day is sponsored by the American Nephrology Nurses' Association (ANNA). The purpose of ESRD Education Day is to help lawmakers and the community understand the increasing need for dialysis in our community and to ask lawmakers to vote for the ESRD Program Modernization bill, which was proposed to Congress in July. The bill is to be voted on in October. The current ESRD Medicare Program was established in 1972 to cover patients of any age who suffer from kidney failure. Before this program, thousands of Americans who had kidney failure died because they could not afford, or had no access to, lifesaving dialysis treatments. However, the program has not been modernized, and current reimbursement rates do not cover the costs of dialysis treatments for providers. This proposed bill includes funds for educating the public as well as the patients who are at risk for kidney failure. The bill also suggests creation of incentives for medical professionals to enter the field of nephrology. "There is an alarming lack of physicians, nurses and advanced practitioners to manage this growing patient population," says Vicki Holmes, R.N., manager of the dialysis unit at The University Hospital. "As the need for dialysis increases each year, health care officials deem the passage of this bill to be critical and of great urgency." According to the American Nephrology Nurses' Association, the number of new cases of ESRD has been steadily increasing each year. There are presently more than 398,000 patients on dialysis in the U.S. "This growing crisis is due to a number of factors, including the increase in diabetes and hypertension, especially among growing minority groups. Another factor is the scarcity of donated kidneys needed for kidney transplantation. The goal of this education day is to address the strain that the demand for dialysis will place on our community before it becomes epidemic," says Suresh Kamath, M.D., nephrologist, The University Hospital dialysis unit. The University Hospital is part of the Health Alliance, an integrated health care delivery system that also includes The Christ Hospital, The St. Luke Hospitals, The Jewish Hospital, The Fort Hamilton Hospital and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care. To view other Health Alliance news releases, go to www.health-alliance.com/pressroom.