Web-based tool provides healthcare professionals with actionable data to address gaps in CKD care and improve patient outcomes
(New York City, NY - October 23, 2024) - The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) has launched CKD Spotlight, an interactive data dashboard that gives healthcare professionals, healthcare systems, and policymakers easy access to chronic kidney disease (CKD) care trends. Most people at risk for CKD do not receive the recommended testing for CKD, and many in the early stages are undiagnosed and untreated, missing opportunities for therapies that can slow the decline of kidney function, reduce cardiovascular risk, and prevent kidney failure.
CKD Spotlight offers healthcare leaders an easy-access to data that will help identify persistent care gaps in their community and supports the development of care transformation strategies aimed at improving the quality of care for people living with CKD. CKD Spotlight leverages six years of Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and employer-sponsored insurance claims data to illuminate trends in CKD diagnosis, testing, treatment, and care outcomes.
Healthcare providers, quality improvement teams, and healthcare equity specialists can explore CKD care trends by state or core-based statistical area (CBSA) using filters for comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and acute kidney failure. The tool offers granular data on care quality indicators like diagnosis rates, hospitalization rates, and medication usage by payer type, empowering professionals to integrate these insights into their practice for more targeted interventions. CKD Spotlight is available at www.kidney.org/ckd-spotlight and through the CKDIntercept landing page at www.kidney.org/ckdintercept
“CKD Spotlight was developed to shine a light on persistent and pervasive gaps in kidney care,” said Kerry Willis, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of the National Kidney Foundation. “The data it provides serves as a catalyst for reexamining approaches to CKD diagnosis and management, enabling healthcare professionals to deliver more effective and equitable care. We are committed to supporting healthcare teams in using these insights to drive care transformation and improve outcomes for people living with CKD.”
For healthcare systems and providers, CKD Spotlight offers a valuable resource to identify care gaps and address disparities in treatment, particularly for those at high risk, including people with diabetes and hypertension. By identifying care gaps at the state, local, or population level, CKD Spotlight helps organizations prioritize interventions that support better care delivery and quality improvement efforts.
This powerful tool was co-developed with the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI), a nonprofit institute that specializes in analyzing large datasets to identify trends in healthcare cost and quality. Their collaboration ensures that CKD Spotlight is based on comprehensive, reliable data, offering key stakeholders the insights they need to tackle some of the most pressing issues in CKD care.
About Kidney Disease
In the United States, more than 35 million adults are estimated to have kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD)—and approximately 90 percent don’t know they have it. About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk for kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include:diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black or African American people are about four times as likely as White people to have kidney failure. Hispanics experience kidney failure at about double the rate of White people.
About KIDNEY EQUITY FOR ALL™
Historically, access to kidney health has remained inequitable, with persistent disparities disproportionately affecting underserved populations and impacting the entire kidney patient journey. To address these disparities, NKF is urging industry and community leaders to join them on their KIDNEY EQUITY FOR ALL™ mission by allocating resources to improve healthcare access and outcomes in communities of color. This is a tangible opportunity for businesses to incorporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles into their operations. For more information on KIDNEY EQUITY FOR ALL™, visit www.kidneyequityforall.org.
About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.
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Contact:
Paul McGee 716.523.6874
Email: paul.mcgee@kidney.org