HEALTHCARE/HHS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday [7-10-19] will order a series of initiatives to encourage more kidney transplants and treatment at home, the start of a process intended to overhaul a market in which the federal government spends more than $100 billion per year. Trump’s executive order — slated to be timed to his 11 a.m. speech Wednesday morning — will direct the government to take steps intended to cut the cost of care and increase kidney donations, according to two individuals with knowledge of the announcement. As part of the strategy, HHS will announce new payment models intended to shift treatment for patients with chronic kidney disease away from standalone clinics, arguing that receiving dialysis at home is both safer for patients and more cost-effective, four individuals familiar with the plan said. The health department also will announce an agency-wide initiative to encourage home dialysis and ramp up better prevention and screening for kidney disease.”
–Dan Diamond and Rachel Roubein, “Trump aims to shake up kidney care market,” Politico, July 8, 2019 1:04 pm