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The Cost
of Improving Dialysis Care
Newswise — Improving survival among dialysis
patients may increase treatment costs
significantly, according to a paper being
presented at the American Society of
Nephrology’s 42nd Annual Meeting and
Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA.
The
authors created models of a 100 patient
dialysis treatment center and a program with
7,500 hemodialysis patients (the approximate
number of such patients in the Province of
Ontario, Canada).
Improving patient survival increased costs
in the 100 patient model by $5 million over
10 years, and in the 7,500 patient model by
$400 million over 10 years.
“Improving dialysis care may result in
significantly increased costs for dialysis
payers,” said Philip McFarlane, MD
(University of Toronto, Canada), one of the
study authors. Increased long-term treatment
costs may trigger a reduction or elimination
of insurance reimbursement for dialysis
patients.
"According
to the paper, insurance companies and other
agencies that pay for health care may reject
new treatments that improve survival on
dialysis, not because of cost of the new
treatment, but because of the additional
costs of providing dialysis.
“We hope that these results will help
researchers and providers approach the
controversial and sensitive question of cost
effectiveness and life sustaining
treatments,” Dr. McFarlane noted.
The findings indicate that research into
less costly treatments that replace kidney
function as well as improved patient
survival may help dialysis patients and the
organizations that underwrite the cost of
dialysis care.
The authors report no financial disclosures.
David C. Mendelssohn, also of University of
Toronto, co-authored the study.
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