[gpt3]Summarize this content to 100 words:
April 11, 2025
2 min read
Key takeaways:
- The NKF continues to support policies aimed at prevention, detection and access.
- NKF has educated 15,000 individuals and supported 7,000 people with mentorships.
BOSTON — The National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings opened its 75th annual event with a clear message: Enhance patient care by advancing awareness.
“Chronic kidney disease is largely undiagnosed with 90% of individuals with CKD unaware of their diagnosis,” Kirk Campbell, MD, president of the National Kidney Foundation and chief of the renal division at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, told Healio. “This has repercussions across the care continuum, where patients miss out on effective treatment options that could slow disease progression, thereby delaying or eliminating the need for dialysis or transplantation.”
As part of its 75th anniversary campaign, the NKF aims to ensure that patients with kidney disease have access to high-quality care, while the industry drives equity and education.
One pillar to help reach that goal is early disease detection. CKD is often linked to conditions like diabetes and hypertension, Campbell said, which may be treatable if caught early. Health care professionals should look toward genetic predispositions and conditions like age, family history and race when assessing renal conditions. Proactive screening and reducing cardiovascular risks are also key in curbing kidney disease.
“NKF has long pushed for screening guidelines for CKD, especially for individuals at high risk,” Campbell said. Through efforts like “CKDintercept,” an NKF initiative to improve CKD testing, recognition and management, “we are engaging health systems, primary providers and other stakeholders around the country to increase CKD detection and utilization of guideline-directed medical therapies,” particularly in settings where resources are limited.
Building a better framework
CKD affects nearly 30% of the Medicare population and leads to more than $80 billion in annual health costs, according to data presented here. Many patients are unaware they have kidney disease, but most have the diagnostic data in their medical records, Campbell said.
“And I think that is an opportunity, right?” Campbell said.
By 2030, NKF aims to double the number of people with CKD who are aware of their diagnosis. NKF is also working to increase the number of people recommended for testing as well as double living and deceased donations while reducing access disparities.
Reaching that milestone means addressing gaps, Campbell said, from referrals to waitlisting to posttransplant care. Awareness among patient and caregivers and accessible resources play a role in building an ideal framework.
Campbell said the NKF and allies continue to fund and support policies aimed at prevention, detection and access. Among legislative initiatives backed by the NKF are the Kidney Disease Education Access and Expansion Act, Improving Access to Home Dialysis Act, Living Donor Protection Act, Expanding Support for Living Donors Act and several related efforts.
The NKF Innovation Fund “supports innovative, early-stage companies to accelerate the development of transformative kidney disease treatments,” Campbell said.
Next era of care
To date, NKF programs have educated 15,000 individuals and supported 7,000 people through mentorships, according to Campbell. Furthermore, 6,000 Black kidney patients have received transplants under the race-neutral eGFR policy, and 270 million Americans are now covered under the Living Donor Protection Act, which has passed in 35 states.
The NKF calls on advocates to get involved and seeks to identify labs using outdated race-based eGFR equations. Whether through local volunteer channels or national membership, Campbell said, any contribution can help advance the next era of transformative, inclusive treatment.
The NKF’s dedicated campaign on patient awareness, according to Campbell, is a “bold initiative aimed at transforming kidney health and patient care.”
For more information:
Kirk Campbell, MD, can be reached at kirk.campbell@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Sources/Disclosures
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Campbell K. NKF presidential address. Presented at: NKF Spring Clinical Meetings; April 9-13, 2025; Boston.
Disclosures:
Campbell reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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