The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) has called for a significant expansion of the number of Americans who should be tested for kidney disease, a recommendation that could be a boon for urinalysis tests. The NKF recommended that all Americans over the age of 60 who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes undergo testing for kidney disease by undergoing a urine albumin test as part of annual medical examinations. The recommendation came out of a recently published study by Johns Hopkins University researchers that concluded that more than 59 percent of Americans would eventually develop at least moderate kidney disease. That is about 190 million people. “If caught early, the progression of kidney disease can be slowed with lifestyle changes and medications. This underscores the importance of annual screenings,” said Beth Piraino, NKF’s president. Should the recommendations be embraced by Americans and their physicians, it could lead to a larger volume of albumin urinalysis tests. Medicare pays for the test at a national rate of $7.33 or $8.19, depending on how it is coded. Although it’s unlikely that labs will be inundated with urinalysis tests over the next few years, at least one national laboratory sees promise in […]
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) has called for a significant expansion of the number of Americans who should be tested for kidney disease, a recommendation that could be a boon for urinalysis tests.
The NKF recommended that all Americans over the age of 60 who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes undergo testing for kidney disease by undergoing a urine albumin test as part of annual medical examinations.
The recommendation came out of a recently published study by Johns Hopkins University researchers that concluded that more than 59 percent of Americans would eventually develop at least moderate kidney disease. That is about 190 million people.
“If caught early, the progression of kidney disease can be slowed with lifestyle changes and medications. This underscores the importance of annual screenings,” said Beth Piraino, NKF’s president.
Should the recommendations be embraced by Americans and their physicians, it could lead to a larger volume of albumin urinalysis tests. Medicare pays for the test at a national rate of $7.33 or $8.19, depending on how it is coded.
Although it’s unlikely that labs will be inundated with urinalysis tests over the next few years, at least one national laboratory sees promise in NKF’s recommendation. Burlington, N.C.-based LabCorp noted in a statement that providers can request chronic kidney disease (CKD) testing in their routine patient chemistry profiles.
“These expanded screening guidelines will assist in the detection of CKD in more individuals that are currently undiagnosed and untreated, and should help more patients get treatment before serious CKD complications arise,” said Mark Brecher, M.D., LabCorp’s chief medical officer.
Takeaway: Routine screenings for chronic kidney disease could boost volumes of routine testing.
