Colorado's Approach to Kidney Disease Prevention is Entering a New Chapter

From 2021 to 2026 the state of Colorado convened the Kidney Disease Prevention and Education Task Force to “evaluate and make recommendations to the General Assembly about the detection, treatment, education, and awareness of kidney disease in Colorado.” The task force identified a critical need to increase kidney disease awareness and testing across the state to improve health outcomes and reduce the growing burden of healthcare costs due to kidney disease. The task force’s findings highlight the value of a data-driven, multi-sector approach that engages stakeholders at every level to strengthen CKD education and awareness. The task force also concluded that investing in early screening, timely intervention, and supportive policy measures can deliver long-term health and economic benefits for Colorado communities.¹

On May 27th, 2026, HB 26-1019 was signed into law, requiring insurance carriers to cover urine and blood tests for kidney screening and diagnosis as preventative tests, reducing cost sharing and coverage barriers that may have inhibited some people from accessing these tests. The law represented an important step toward widespread guideline-concordant testing and earlier diagnosis, but to achieve its desired impact there is an urgent need for coordinated action by health care organizations, payers, and public health partners. Claims data analysis shows that as of 2022, fewer than 35% of at-risk Coloradans received annual kidney screening, with the largest gaps among Medicaid and employer-sponsored insurance populations.²  While insurance coverage and cost sharing reductions can help, coordinated, systems change approaches are needed to achieve success. 

NKF’s CKDintercept (CKDi) model offers practice transformation strategies that can rapidly close care gaps in testing and diagnosis. More than 60 health care organizations across the country have implemented or are currently working with NKF to implement these strategies³. With funding from the CDC provided through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, NKF hosted a virtual webinar for health care leaders in Colorado highlighting many of these system-level approaches, quality improvement strategies, and resources to strengthen CKD and diabetes-related complication screening and management. Attendees were encouraged to consider which strategies could work in their own organizations, and what role they could play to close the significant gaps in care that exist for kidney patients.

NKF is ready to collaborate with public health partners and health care delivery leaders to implement evidenced based strategies within the healthcare delivery system across the state, which will further drive CKD awareness among the provider and patient community. By working collaboratively, the NKF and partner organizations can build on the Colorado CKD Task Force's recommendations to strengthen kidney health for communities throughout Colorado.