3/15/22 - American Nephrology Nurses Association Issues Response to Innovate Kidney Care Position Paper: Recommended Changes to Conditions for Coverage to Improve and Modernize Kidney Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marie Alonso
marie.alonso@ajj.com

American Nephrology Nurses Association Issues Response to Innovate Kidney Care Position Paper: Recommended Changes to Conditions for Coverage to Improve and Modernize Kidney Care

Summary

  • The American Nephrology Nurses Association strongly disagrees with the assertion that “re-imagining training of multidisciplinary care teams” should incorporate a reduction in qualified nephrology registered nurse responsibilities in the management, education, and care of home dialysis interactions.
  • The recommendation to “remove the requirement that RNs conduct training” and maintain a structured “oversight and participation” in the practice of home dialysis presents a dangerous and alarming alternative to existing home dialysis management.
  • The call for an emerging reliance upon home dialysis device manufacturers to directly train patients, under the oversight of a dialysis facility nurse, presents a framework for a compromised dialysis modality experience. In addition, the recommendations in the position paper would move towards eliminating qualified nephrology registered nursing oversight that is essential to successful home dialysis therapies and patient safety.

The American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA), a more than 8,000-member strong nursing organization serving and advancing the nephrology nursing specialty, is issuing a call for clarity, caution and reassessment of recommendations presented in the recently released Innovate Kidney Care Winter 2022 position paper, Recommended Changes to Conditions for Coverage to Improve and Modernize Kidney Care.

The position paper recommends, in response to registered nursing shortages, the delivery of managed kidney care and home dialysis through multidisciplinary care teams, among other recommended steps, not trained or supervised by qualified registered nurses and, in some instances, trained exclusively by home dialysis device manufacturers, under the oversight of a dialysis facility nurse.

Additionally, the position paper asserts the removal of the requirement that registered nurses conduct training for home dialysis therapies be “reimagined” and “replaced” with shared responsibilities of a multidisciplinary care team. Of particular concern to ANNA is the recommendation to “remove the requirement that RNs conduct training” and maintain a structured “oversight and participation” in the practice of home dialysis. This is a dangerous and alarming alternative to the existing home dialysis management and presents a threat to patient safety.

“We cannot imagine a potentially more compromised approach to ensuring competent, qualified home dialysis care,” reports ANNA President Dave Walz, MBA, BSN, RN, CNN, FACHE, “ANNA works tirelessly in the support of advocating only sound educational programs that are optimized to develop, maintain, and deliver high-quality kidney care. We actively support a cross-disciplinary team approach to patient care and wellness and, while we support interdisciplinary collaboration in delivering high-quality, cost-effective kidney care, we are deeply concerned with the recommendations reflected in the position paper in question.”

A sustainable home dialysis process starts with education and training by a qualified nephrology registered nurse. Involving the nephrology registered nurse at the beginning of the process leads to development of a professional patient relationship that fosters trust, familiarity, and communication. This is an important step in identifying learning needs and managing patient therapy challenges. Early identification of challenges and learning needs is imperative to long-term therapy success.

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About ANNA (www.annanurse.org)

The American Nephrology Nurses Association improves members' lives through education, advocacy, networking, and science. Since it was established as a nonprofit organization in 1969, ANNA has been serving members who span the nephrology nursing spectrum. ANNA has a membership of over 8,000 registered nurses and other health care professionals at all levels of practice. Members work in such areas as conservative management, peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, continuous renal replacement therapies, transplantation, industry, and government/regulatory agencies. ANNA is committed to advancing the nephrology nursing specialty and nurturing every ANNA member. We achieve these goals by providing the highest quality educational products, programs, and services. Our members are leaders who advocate for patients, mentor each other, and lobby legislators, all to inspire excellence. For more information, visit www.annanurse.org or contact 888-600-2662. Follow @ANNAnurses.