Kidney patient? Medicare helps teach options

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OrlandoSentinel.com

Kidney patient? Medicare helps teach options

By Fernando Quintero, Orlando Sentinel

March 6, 2010

A Medicare benefit that took effect in January reimburses doctors and other specialists for helping the more than 2 million Floridians at risk for kidney failure better understand their treatment options.

In Orlando, Dr. Joseph Warren is one of relatively few physicians taking advantage of it.

The benefit is one of myriad changes that are made each year to the already-confusing Medicare maze. It reimburses physicians and nurses for providing face-to-face sessions with chronic kidney-disease patients on pursuing a transplant, home dialysis and other options.

"Prior to this [benefit], we always did that," said Warren. "The more the patient can understand their options and appreciate potential problems down the road, the better their outcomes. It makes their lives easier, and ours."

A survey of local hospitals and kidney-disease specialists showed few medical professionals were aware of the benefit, although some, like Warren, may already be providing information on treatment options.

"There's a need to educate both medical professionals and patients about the Medicare benefit," said Stephanie Hutchison, chief operating officer of the National Kidney Foundation Florida office.

Her office is joining other National Kidney Foundation chapters to get the word out about the benefit and its new curriculum, designed to help professionals provide the educational sessions. Your Treatment, Your Choice includes lesson plans and a session guide as well as puzzles, quizzes and other materials for patients.

Medicare patients must have a physician referral and be diagnosed with severe chronic kidney disease to qualify for the benefit.

"If someone is in the later stages of kidney disease, we need to start educating them about their transplant and dialysis options," said Warren.

Hemodialysis replaces kidney function by removing toxins and excess fluid from the blood and tissues by circulating blood through an artificial kidney machine. Peritoneal dialysis uses a catheter to access a thin membrane that lines the abdominal cavity to filter blood.

Warren said patients can also be given dietary advice. "Vitamin D, for example, can be added to the diet to improve nutrients that normally get activated by enzyme in the kidneys," he said. "Many chemicals play a role in the progression of the disease."

The medical industry has advocated for Medicare patient-education reimbursement for years, according to medical experts.

"What the government needs to do is empower patients to make informed decisions that can improve their quality of life," said Dr. James Sloand, senior medical director for Baxter International, an Illinois-based global medical products and services company.

Fernando Quintero can be reached at fquintero@orlandosentinel.com or 407-650-6333.

Other Medicare benefits for 2010
Mental-health care:
Medicare will help pay for visits to a mental-health professional for diagnosis and ongoing treatment, such as therapy, of a mental-health conditions.
HIV screening:
Provides coverage of HIV screening for the first time.
Pulmonary rehabilitation:
Provides 36 sessions of care for patients with chronic respiratory problems. Program includes doctor-prescribed exercise, education, training, assessment and individualized treatment plans.
Cardiac rehabilitation:
Covers cardiac-rehabilitation services, including intensive rehabilitation, for patients who have had certain cardiac procedures, including heart transplants and coronary artery bypass surgery.
Preventive exams:
Waives the Part B deductible for initial preventive physical examination and allows new beneficiaries up to 12 months to take advantage of the exam.
For more information on these and other Medicare benefits, visit medicare.gov

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/os-kidney-disease-medicare-20100306,0,3158438.story