We are taking a break from our regular Monday posts to bring you a roundup of news at the intersection of nephrology and technology that has popped up over the last week. Click on the headlines below to browse the articles. Or, if you’ve discovered other newsworthy items that may be of interest to our team or your nephrologist peers, we invite you to please share news links in the comments.
QRUR & the VM: It’s Worth a Look
Once again, actually putting your hands on the QRUR is half the battle. In July, CMS sent our old friend the IACS account packing and they now require you to use an Enterprise Identity Data Management (EIDM) account to access your QRUR. Of course if you already have an IACS account you need to follow the yellow brick road to obtain an EIDM. Your journey begins here.
DeSalvo to leave ONC but will stay at HHS
Dr. Karen DeSalvo, who had been wearing two hats at HHS, is stepping down from her role as the nation’s top information technology official. Dr. Vindell Washington will take over as head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
More tweaks coming for value-based Medicare Advantage project
The federal government will expand a new Medicare Advantage program to three states in 2018 and allow interested insurers to offer expanded benefits to two new types of chronically ill members.
AUA: Updated Guidance on Treating Kidney Stones
The American Urologic Association has issued a new guideline for the surgical management of patients with kidney and/or ureteral stones, containing over 50 statements on best practices.
Fix five star so it measures true quality of care
The Star Rating System for dialysis clinics has been under fire since it was introduced in January 2014. But despite this scrutiny and expert panel review, questions about the system’s value remain.
ACE inhibitors, ARBs linked to similar results in peritoneal dialysis patients
A new study examined two classes of medications commonly prescribed to prevent cardiovascular events in end-stage renal disease patients on peritoneal dialysis and found no significant difference in outcomes.
Home and more frequent dialysis at the fore of Medicare dialysis rulemaking
Home dialysis training payment proposals a move in the right direction; more frequent hemodialysis payment proposals beg for substantial public comment.
New biomarkers may identify diabetic nephropathy earlier than current test
Two newly found biomarkers can detect diabetic nephropathy in children and teenagers earlier than the conventional urine microalbumin test, according to researchers who presented their results August 2, 2016 at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry’s 68th Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, held in Philadelphia, PA.
Smoking reduces lifespans and overall chances of kidney transplantation in dialysis patients
Dialysis patients who smoke are much less likely to receive a life-saving kidney transplant and much more likely to die sooner according to researchers from the Health Research Institute (HRI) at the University of Limerick and UL’s Graduate Entry Medical School (GEMS).
‘Kidney-on-a-chip’ could save lives in the ICU
Many lifesaving drugs can be dangerously toxic to the kidneys. Because there are a number of factors that change the way kidneys process drugs, it is very difficult to predict how they will affect each patient. Researchers from the University of Michigan have developed a “kidney-on-a-chip” that promises to make testing the effects of drugs on the kidney quicker and more reliable.
Woman with 100-year-old kidney from mum ‘still going strong’
A woman with a 100-year-old kidney has credited its longevity on coming from “good stock”. She would know—it came from her mother.
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