NKF Benefit Recommendations
Coverage for annual testing for people at risk for CKD:
Serum creatinine with estimated glomerular filtration rate and urine albumin-creatinine ratio testing is inexpensive and widely available. Ensure annual chronic kidney disease testing is included in the plan wellness benefits for adults with diabetes and hypertension, and for those over the age of 60.
Confirm access to guideline-directed medical therapies to slow CKD progression:
Ensure that there are no barriers or pre-authorizations required for interventions that have demonstrated disease modifying effects for people diagnosed with kidney diseases such as:
- sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i): for people with a diagnosis of diabetes and/or kidney disease;
- glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1): with a diagnosis of diabetes and/or kidney disease;
- non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (nsMRA): with a diagnosis of diabetes and/or kidney disease.
Coverage of Medical Nutrition Therapy with a Registered Dietitian for people with kidney disease:
Food is medicine for people affected by kidney disease. It is recommended that nutrition counseling or medical nutrition therapy provided by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) be provided as a covered benefit for people with a kidney disease diagnosis.
Establish relationships with the local provider community:
In order to obtain data regarding CKD testing and care quality, especially in the organization’s high density locations.
