American Society of Nephrology Applauds Senate Passage of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Act (S. 1668)

The United States Senate unanimously passed the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement Transplantation Network (OPTN) Act (S. 1668), following House passage earlier this week, marking a new era for the United States transplant system.

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY AND HHS ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF $9.2 MILLION ARTIFICIAL KIDNEY PRIZE PHASE 2 AT KIDNEYX SUMMIT

Today, the Kidney Innovation Accelerator (KidneyX), a public private partnership between the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the eight winners of the Artificial Kidney Prize Phase 2 at the KidneyX Summit in Washington, DC. The competition recognized participants’ innovative approaches to developing a bioartificial kidney and was divided into two tracks with two Track 1 participants each receiving $1,600,000, and six Track 2 participants each receiving $1,000,000.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY COMMENDS SENATE INTRODUCTION OF THE SECURING THE U.S. ORGAN PROCUREMENT AND TRANSPLANTATION NETWORK ACT

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) applauds the introduction of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act (S. 1668), bipartisan legislation to ensure accountability and transparency in the U.S. transplant system by modernizing its underlying technology and policy infrastructure.

Advocates from ASN Urges Congress to Change the Status Quo in Kidney Health

• More than 37 million Americans live with kidney diseases.
• 800,000 Americans have kidney failure, a condition for which there is no cure.
• Kidney diseases disproportionately affect communities of color.
• COVID-19, especially deadly for people with kidney diseases, has highlighted the urgent need for change

Winners announced in second round of the KidneyX COVID-19 Kidney Care Challenge

Today, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) announced seven winners in Round 2 of the KidneyX COVID-19 Kidney Care Challenge. From December to January, healthcare providers, dialysis centers, nonprofit health systems, and other entrants submitted solutions that could reduce the transmission of coronavirus among people with kidney disease and/or reduce the risk of kidney damage among people who contract the virus.

AANA Congratulates New HHS Secretary, Urges Fair Reimbursement Policies for Advanced Practice Providers

he American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) and the nation’s 57,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and student registered nurse anesthetists congratulate Xavier Becerra on his confirmation as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The AANA is committed to working with Becerra and his staff to reduce barriers to CRNA practice, which will help expand access to care and make healthcare more affordable for all.

Radiology Societies Urge HHS to Reject Proposed Deregulation of Specific AI Software

In a March 5, 2021 letter from the American College of Radiology® (ACR®), Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) urged US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials to reject a “midnight” proposal by the immediate-past HHS Secretary to permanently exempt certain medical devices from the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) 510(k) premarket notification requirements.

AACI Partners With Federal Vaccine Panel to Promote Cancer Patient Health

AACI was invited last summer to join the Vaccine Consultation Panel (VCP) alongside other leading health and science organizations in the U.S. Through the VCP, AACI has received periodic updates on the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and participated in efforts to educate the cancer center community and the general public on the importance of widespread vaccine uptake.

AMP Commends Department of Health and Human Services on Decision to Lessen Regulatory Burden on Laboratory Professionals

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global, molecular diagnostics professional society, commends the decision by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to rescind the requirement for premarket review of laboratory developed testing procedures (LDPs) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY TRANSPLANT POLICY PRIORITIES AT CENTER OF BOLD NEW PROPOSED RULES

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today took bold steps in two proposed rules to increase the availability of organs for the 113,000 Americans waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant – 20 of whom die each day – and to strengthen support for Americans who choose to be living donors. Both proposed rules advance policy changes the American Society of Nephrology has long been advocating for and is strongly supportive of.

STATEMENT OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY PRESIDENT MARK E. ROSENBERG, MD, FASN, ON THE KIDNEY CARE CHOICES MODEL ASN welcomes “visionary approach for the future of kidney care.”

American Society of Nephrology President Mark E. Rosenberg, MD, FASN, has issued the following statement regarding the new Kidney Care Choices Model:

“The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) welcomes the introduction of the voluntary Kidney Care Choices (KCC) Model, and its four kidney care payment options, addressing key aspects of the Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health (AAKH). This voluntary model will be a true game changer and brings desperately needed, sweeping changes to care for people with kidney diseases. ASN has long advocated for key elements of this model, and I thank HHS Secretary Azar and his entire team for putting forward such a visionary approach for the future of kidney care.

KIDNEYX INTRODUCES STEERING COMMITTEE

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Chief Technology Officer and the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) today introduced the members of the newly formed KidneyX Innovation Accelerator (KidneyX) steering committee. This diverse group of experts will play a critical role in advancing the KidneyX mission to improve the lives of the 850,000,000 people worldwide currently affected by kidney diseases by accelerating innovation in kidney disease prevention, diagnostics, and treatment.