Dear ASN members:
I want to follow up my recent Renal Express messages dedicated to the Society's Publications (January) and Postgraduate Education (February) activities with an update on the Society's Public Policy activities. In this arena we are fortunate to have a most dedicated and effective Public Policy Director, Mr. Paul Smedberg , as well as an actively involved Public Policy Committee. This committee in turn has two components, one involved in research/NIH issues, chaired by Dr. Michael Humphreys, and one involved in regulatory/CMS issues, chaired by Dr. Donald Wesson.
As I expressed in my vision statement, I consider the proactive support of renal research to be a core mission of our Society. As such, in the last few months considerable energy has been channeled to bring this support to the forefront. Specifically, the Board of Advisors and the Council decided at its spring 2004 meeting to undertake a series of research retreats to update a similar effort that took place six years earlier, at the dawn of an era that foresaw the now fulfilled doubling of the NIH budget for renal research. In a dramatically altered fiscal environment, we conducted five retreats (in contrast to 10 previously), in 5 distinct renal areas: acute renal failure, diabetic nephropathy, hypertension, transplantation and uremic cardiovascular toxicity. The retreats joined experts from within and outside the renal community to identify areas of basic and clinical research funding that should receive priority in the next five years.
Various NIH institutes also participated in the retreats, as well as the National Kidney Foundation, the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology, the American Society of Transplantation, the American Society of Hypertension, and the Kidney Council of the American Heart Association. The reports that emanated from these retreats were presented February 7 by several ASN Council Members and representatives from other participating societies to the leaders of NIDDK and NHLBI, Drs. Allen Spiegel and Elizabeth Nabel (respectively) and their staff. The dialogue was open and extremely positive. Read the submitted report.
As a result we foresee that the reports will assist both institutes in directing their unique research priorities as well as in their mutual collaborations to enhance the renal research agenda. We will follow up these discussions with visits to Capitol Hill in spring 2005 to present to congressional leaders the salient points of our retreats. We will complement these efforts with documentation of the major contributions that renal research has made in the last 10 years, an initiative launched by Dr. Eric Cohen, member of the Public Policy Committee. We hope to attain specific congressional language that will direct the NIH to heed some of the proposals presented in the renal research retreat. Read a list of those who contributed!
In the last three years, the Society has increasingly devoted its resources to regulatory/CMS issues, cognizant of the importance such issues have to our Membership. As such we have been active in nurturing our relationship with CMS. Mr. Smedberg participates in ESRD Open Door meetings, the Society has prepared a scholarly document that addresses the issue of outcome based reimbursement, (Himmelfarb, et al JASN 15:3263, 2004), and we have had CMS representatives respond to Membership concerns at Renal Week.
Currently, we are concentrating our efforts towards the recently published final interim regulations of the Stark Law related to “fair market value safe harbor”. In this regard, our Public Policy Committee, the Dialysis Advisory Committee, and the Practicing Nephrologists Advisory Group have reviewed the document. The Society feels that the proposed method for reimbursement of dialysis medical directors is arbitrary and does not reflect the burden of responsibilities that the position entails. The RPA has filed a lawsuit with CMS contesting these regulations. The ASN will take a complementary approach whereby we will address the issue directly with CMS leaders and seek a dialogue aimed at modifying the proposed regulation, in a manner that more closely reflects the expertise, effort, and dedication required to oversee the complexities of a dialysis unit. I want to emphasize that the Society will leverage the positive relationships it has developed with CMS to accomplish this goal, as we view the issue to be of vital importance to all nephrologists.
In summary, the Society is actively involved in public policy issues as they affect both the research and clinical practices of our members.
Thank you!
Sincerely yours,
Tomas Berl, MD
2. Renew Your Dues by Thursday, March 10
Please take a few minutes to renew your 2005 membership dues by Thursday, March 10 to receive April's JASN and ensure uninterrupted member services, including:
- Printed and online subscriptions to the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology ( JASN ) and Nephrology Self-Assessment Program (NephSAP)
- Eligibility for ASN grant funding
- Free Online Job Placement Service and Membership Directory
- Renal Express and Renal Policy Express
- Discounts on all ASN educational programs
- Eligibility for Fellowship of the American Society of Nephrology (FASN) status
- Voting rights for “Active” members
Fill out the dues renewal you received via mail and/or fax or click here.
We regret that we cannot accept credit card payments over the phone.
3. Stay Tuned for Renal Week 2005's Call for Abstracts
Stay tuned to your mail and email boxes later this month for details on submitting your abstracts for Renal Week 2005 in Philadelphia. All abstracts must be submitted electronically through the ASN website by Wednesday, June 15, 2005, 11:59 pm CT.
The ASN Council and Program Committee continue to make every effort to have all aspects of Renal Week meet the needs of its diverse attendees and have thus implemented some changes to the submission, distribution, and presentation of abstracts, including:
- Ability to request removal of your abstract from the 2005 Abstract Supplement, if your publication is not chosen for presentation. When submitting your abstract, simply check a box during your online submission, which states, “Please do not publish my abstract in Renal Week 2005's Abstract Supplement of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, if my presentation is not selected for poster or free communication.”
- Pre-purchase the Abstract Supplement prior to Renal Week; watch the ASN website for details.
- Reduction of Free Communication (Oral) presentations to 5-minute presentations with an additional 5 minutes for questions from the audience (10 minutes total) to allow for a wider variety of groundbreaking research.
- Introduction of a new Friday evening session to expand on basic science abstract oral presentations, which will precede a group dinner bringing the basic science community together in an interactive forum!
4. Continuing Medical Education (CME) Credits
New this year– the ASN has launched an online transcript tool so participants in our continuing medical education activities will have access to their awarded category 1 credits at their convenience. All participants will be able to view and print reports by logging into our website with their User ID (ASN Identification Number) and their last name. Please click here to access your online transcript and continue to check the ASN website for updates.
5. Renal Physicians Association Files Lawsuit Against Department of HHS, Medicare and Medicaid
As Dr. Berl mentioned in his message, this month, the Renal Physicians Association filed a lawsuit against CMS contesting the final interim regulations of the Stark Law. Read their press release.
6. March is National Kidney Month
March is National Kidney Month, a perfect time to raise awareness about kidney disease prevention. Join the National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) in educating people at risk by promoting its National Kidney Month website (www.nkdep.nih.gov/kidneymonth). As you know, kidney disease affects more than 20 million Americans, and the numbers are rising. Millions know they have diabetes and/or high blood pressure but don't know these conditions put them at increased risk for kidney disease. Help NKDEP raise awareness about the risks and encourage people to talk to their doctor about getting tested. The site will be active on March 1 and will remain live throughout the month. Visit the website today!
7. New Research Grants for Novel Approaches to Lupus
New Research Grants for Novel Approaches to Lupus- sponsored by The Lupus Research Institute and founded to support highly promising idea-driven novel approaches to discover the cause, improve treatment and cure lupus – invites applications for financial support starting October 2005 for basic and clinical Novel Research Projects relevant to Lupus Erythematosus. For additional information and a copy of the grant application, visit the LRI website or contact Laura Hack at lhack@lupusny.org or 212-685-4118.
