The ASN Policy Board presents the January issue of Renal Policy Express.
In This Issue...
- National Institutes of Health
New resource for diabetes educators, The Type 1 Diabetes Pathfinder Award, and Dr. Zerhouni’s remarks at Research!America/PhRMA meeting.
- Congressional Updates
Appropriations and Medicare updates.
1. National Institutes of Health
NKDEP Develops New Resource for Diabetes Educators
The National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) has developed a Quick Reference on UACR and GFR fact sheet. This fact sheet provides information on the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR). For each measure, the fact sheet addressed topics such as criteria for chronic kidney disease (CKD), interpretation of test results, and benefits, recommendations, and warnings. It can be downloaded at www.nkdep.nih.gov/resources/uacr_gfr_quickreference.htm.
The Type 1 Diabetes Pathfinder Award
The Type 1 Diabetes Pathfinder Award is designed to support a small number of exceptionally creative new investigators whose research is focused on type 1 diabetes research. The goal is to support exceptional new investigators who propose creative new research approaches that have the potential to produce a major impact on important problems in biomedical and behavioral research relevant to type 1 diabetes and its complications. The research proposed need not be in a conventional biomedical or behavioral discipline but must be relevant to type 1 diabetes.
Diabetes is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This grant is being administered by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) on behalf of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). For more information, please visit: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DK-08-001.html.
Elias Zerhouni, MD, Comments at Research!America/PhRMA Meeting
On November 16, 2007, Research!America and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of American (PhRMA) held a meeting entitled "Transforming Health: Fulfilling the Promise of Research." Dr. Elias Zerhouni, Director of NIH, was featured as the keynote speaker. Within his message, Dr. Zerhouni divided NIH research into two contexts: saving lives/money, and serving as a driving force for innovation in the private sector.
The full transcript of the meeting, including Dr. Zerhouni’s remarks, can be viewed here: http://www.researchamerica.org/transforming_health_transcript.
2. Congressional Updates
Appropriations Update
On Wednesday, December 19, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 272-142 to send to President Bush a $555 billion year-end Omnibus bill to fund the remaining Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 appropriations bills, including the Labor, Health and Human Resources and Education. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (H.R. 2764) includes an increase of less than 1 percent for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A previous version of the bill, which was vetoed by President Bush, included a 3.1 percent increase for NIH. After all adjustments and concessions, NIH gets an appropriation of $29.229 billion – an increase of $329 million (1.1%) over Fiscal Year 2007.
The text of the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2008 is posted on the House Rules Committee website: http://www.rules.house.gov/110_fy08_omni.htm.
The ASN Policy Board wishes to thank all the ASN members who contacted their congressional delegations this year in support of increased funding for NIH in FY 2008.
Medicare Update - ESRD Provisions & Physician Fee Fix
Congress adjourned late last month without passing any kind of comprehensive Medicare legislation. Congress did however manage to produce a short-term package which provides a six-month physician fee fix, extension of several expiring provisions, and extends funding for SCHIP through March 31, 2009.
Despite focused advocacy efforts by the renal community the short-term (Medicare) package does not contain any ESRD reforms or provisions. The bill does require Congress to revisit Medicare reform this year, thus providing the renal community with the opportunity for comprehensive ESRD reform.
The short-term package stops a 10 percent cut to doctors’ Medicare payment rates that was scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2008. Instead, physicians will get a 0.5 percent increase in reimbursement rates for six months. However, the legislation does not stop cuts after the fix expires in June or cuts scheduled for future years. The bill (S.2499) also extends funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) through March 31, 2009.
To view highlights of the Medicare package click here.
We hope that you have enjoyed this version of ASN's Renal Policy Express. Please refer any questions or comments regarding this newsletter to policy@asn-online.org.
Paul Smedberg, Director, Policy and Public Affairs
Susan Owens, Senior Policy Coordinator
