From innovations that make home dialysis simpler and more accessible to telenephrology bringing renal care into the patient’s home, the broad shift away from the traditional clinical setting may be the most widely influential item on this list. In fact, it’s estimated that off-site treatment will have the largest impact of any forthcoming development in the realm of renal care.12 First among those impacts is simple growth: According to one industry estimate, the home hemodialysis market is expected to swell by 10% annually between now and 2030.13
How are these new innovations making such an impact? By eliminating many of the stumbling blocks that once made at-home treatment — particularly dialysis — prohibitive. For example, one medical device startup is working on a self-disinfecting mechanism that keeps home dialysis equipment sterile and safe.14 Another has found a way to connect its streamlined dialysis machines more easily to water sources and can even be fitted with its own portable water station.15 Yet another has developed a user-friendly, instant-read, at-home albumin-to-creatinine-ratio (ACR) test, designed to assist patients in spotting a key sign of kidney disease in the comfort of their home.16
Meanwhile, telenephrology is removing many of the barriers that have long kept at-risk patients from receiving the care they need. New platforms designed expressly for telenephrology connect to patients’ wearable devices, delivering real-time data to guide treatment pathways,17,18 and specially designed dashboards keep a firm handle on patient data to streamline treatment across providers.19
The problem of CKD may be dismayingly widespread, but as this array of forward-thinking innovations makes clear, solutions abound, and new ideas are being explored all the time. As the nation faces an increasingly prevalent health crisis, payers can take comfort in the pace of progress — and take action to bring these critical solutions to the patients who need them most.