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Tuesday, March 05, 2019

HHS Secretary Alex Azar calls for more dialysis at home rather than in clinics

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar proposed Monday that Medicare funding should support at-home dialysis treatments for patients with end-stage renal disease who do not receive the care they need at for-profit clinics.

“While peritoneal dialysis or home hemo may not be possible for absolutely everyone, they can often be more convenient, better for patients’ independence and self-sufficiency, and better for their physical health,” Azar said at an event hosted by the National Kidney Foundation in Washington.

Hemodialysis is a process in which a person’s blood goes through a filter in a machine, sometimes called an “artificial kidney.” The machine filters out waste from the blood, which is then returned to the person’s body, mirroring kidney function. Hemodialysis requires three treatments per week, about four hours for each treatment.

Peritoneal dialysis works similarly but can be done in the patient’s own home.

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Common sense.

Anonymous said...

@4:57 are you serious?? What could possibly go wrong with people doing home dialysis?? You're a fuc**** moron. Azar is out for his personal special interest once again. Doesnt he have family in home health care business?? Yea just like he made millions off of the opiod epidemic with his college buddies and the pharmaceutical industry

Anonymous said...

He has an eye center

Anonymous said...

@7:44...I know at least two people doing home dialysis for kidney disease. It's quite remarkable.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for our home grown Alex Azar Jr. this is a very humane decision and the right thing for the country. Worked for his dad and watched him grow as a child could not be more proud.

Anonymous said...

Another note, this is not a permanent replacement for regular dialysis.

From the mayo clinic:
Most people who start dialysis with peritoneal dialysis will eventually experience a decline in kidney function and will need hemodialysis or kidney transplant.

So, even if you do start with Peritoneal dialysis, you won't be able to do it indefinitely.

Anonymous said...

His step brother has a home healthcare business, Casey Hoch!!

Anonymous said...

Azar us a prime example of a broken system. He was in a position while working as a pharmaceutical CEO that definitely contributed to the opiod problems. I'm sure all his ivy league first brothers made a ton of money during their tenure. Now he's promoting more home healthcare and yes his brother Casey Which would benefit from this type of legislation. You can praise your golden boy but he's NO better than the thugs out in the streets. He just paid alot of money for a college certificate to do it "legally"

Anonymous said...

March 5, 2019 at 7:44 PM;

Your ignorance is showing. You obviously do not know anything about the subject of home dialysis. I do. It beats going to a center and have to lay there for a half a day while getting the procedure done. For many, the travel time to the center makes it an all day affair, 3 days a week. Doing it in the convenience of your own home is a great benefit, in itself. No travel, just for starters. You are uninformed, ignorant, and cruel in your mis-understood assessment of home dialysis. Alex Azar is an intellectual genius compared to most people, especially you. You have NO standing to judge or criticize him or his policies. I doubt you even know that his father is Alex Azar, the founder of the Azar Eye Institute right here in Salisbury. It is easy to be opinionated, without being educated! You are proof.