The regional coalition, convened under the banner of Independence Blue Cross, has so far provided kidney function assessments, pulmonary function tests, a calculator to estimate the likelihood of a successful vaginal birth after caesarean section (VBAC), and removing race from clinical algorithms used to determine race-based pregnancy. Anemia guidelines.
“Now we can be more proactive about Black kidney health, and we hope that fewer people will have chronic kidney disease, undergo dialysis, or need a kidney transplant.” said Sean Ross, a nurse practitioner and executive director of health equity. Independence Blue Cross.
Pharmacist Christine Roussel, senior executive director of pharmacy, laboratory and medical research at Doylestown Health, said patients, especially Black patients, have been on the kidney transplant waiting list for several years since the eGFR score adjustment. Health workers say they are already seeing the numbers rise. deep. ”
The coalition supported removing race from the Kidney Donor Risk Index, which national organ and transplant networks use to calculate organ function in deceased donors. Supporters say the change should make more kidneys available, especially from Black donors.
Leaders also want to ensure that more Black and Hispanic mothers are better informed about labor and delivery options and receive early, aggressive treatment for anemia, and that more Black and Asian mothers The hope is that these patients will receive the same early diagnosis and treatment for lung disease as white patients.
“The coalition government really showed us how widespread the problem is,” Roussel said. “When I got involved, I was so grateful because I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s so much more to do.’”
Going forward, the coalition will reshape how race is used in other clinical tools and algorithms that calculate risk for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, bone fractures, osteoporosis, childhood urinary tract infections, breast cancer, heart failure, and more. I plan to evaluate it.
Their focus areas are based on findings outlined in an article titled “Hidden in Plain Sight” published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2020. Researchers analyzed and determined the level of understanding of race and human genetics among physicians and health care providers. Gaps in clinical decision-making guidelines.
“Our knowledge evolves,” Roussel says. “Our ability to look at the same data and develop different theories around it and test them continues to evolve, and we’re always trying to do what’s best for our patients. That’s the best part of medicine. It is forever changing and forever being evaluated.”
