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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Proposition 29 would have required medical providers to be on-site while a patient is undergoing dialysis.</li><li>Proponents said this will help save the lives of dialysis patients.</li></ul>Californians voted "no" on California's Proposition 29, also known as the Protect The Lives of Dialysis Patients Act, which would have required a medical professional to stand by while dialysis patients are being treated.<h2>Ballot measure details</h2>California attempted for the third time to pass a controversial dialysis measure that would have required that a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant be present on site while a patient is undergoing dialysis treatment, and should have at least 6 months of experience providing care to patients with end-stage renal disease.Proposition 29 would have mandated that physicians report dialysis-related infections and specify whether or not the physician has a financial stake in the clinic. If passed, clinics that fail to provide reports would have been slapped with $100,000 fines.It also would have added a provision that dialysis providers cannot discriminate against a patient's ability to pay for services.<h2>Support and opposition</h2><a href="https://www.kidneypatientsdeservebetter.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CALIFORNIA-Fact-Sheet.pdf">Kidney Patients Deserve Better</a> led the campaign in support of Proposition 29. The California Democratic Party supported this measure.Supporters argued that extra precautions are needed to ensure that if something goes wrong during dialysis, an hours-long treatment, a provider will be nearby to help them. They also <a href="https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/29/arguments-rebuttals.htm">argued</a> that for-profit dialysis clinics are opposed to these rules because it would cut into their billion-dollar profits. No Prop 29, which was against the amendment, included Fresenius and DaVita, two of the largest dialysis providers in the state. The California Medical Association, the California Republican Party, and the California Chamber of Commerce were also against this measure.Opponents said dialysis clinics will be forced to charge patients more or close because of the expanded costs of care. The state's Legislative Analyst's Office estimated that Proposition 29 will <a href="https://lao.ca.gov/ballot/2022/Prop29-110822.pdf">increase costs for dialysis clinics.</a>They also argued that if clinics shut down, patients will not receive the care they need, which could negatively affect their health.<h2>The money race</h2>As of November 6, about $7.9 million was raised in support of the measure by Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, while $86.4 million — mostly from Fresenius and DaVita — was raised against the measure, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/projects/2022-california-election-proposition-29-kidney-dialysis-money-tracker/">according to</a> the Los Angeles Times.

Proposition 29: California voters say no to controversial new dialysis requirements

<ul class="summary-list"><li>One in 500 Americans is on kidney dialysis. Extreme-weather events can threaten their lives.</li><li>Renal-care experts told Insider how they keep patients alive when big storms hit.</li></ul>On Christmas Day 2022, while most residents in upstate New York were getting ready to enjoy the festivities, Michael Sloma was on a mercy mission to save a life.The region was still reeling from <a href="https://www.insider.com/death-toll-in-buffalo-winter-storm-2022-12?amp">a once-in-a-century blizzard</a> that had left dozens of people dead, and Sloma was determined that a woman who needed dialysis wasn't going to join their ranks.Sloma, the group vice president of operations at US Renal Care, is one of many unsung heroes who leap into action when snowstorms, hurricanes, or wildfires hit the US. <a href="https://www.kidney.org/news/newsroom/fsindex#:~:text=In%202018%2C%20785%2C883%20Americans%20had,lived%20with%20a%20kidney%20transplant." target="_blank" rel="noopener">One in 500 Americans is on dialysis</a>, according to the National Kidney Foundation, and each knows it is their lifeline. The chaos of an extreme-weather event can put many of them at risk of missing their all-important treatments. When snow and hurricane-level winds hit Buffalo, New York, for four days straight last Christmas and residents sheltered in their homes, Sloma took to the dangerous roads."We're used to dealing with snow and removing snow, so that really doesn't bother us," he told Insider. "But they were starting to say on the news that this was going to be a really bad storm — generational-type blizzard storm. Conditions were such that you could not see literally a foot in front of your car. We had a total of 23 people stuck inside various clinics — about half were patients, and half were staff."Most worrying was a nursing-home resident trapped by the snow who required dialysis and needed to be evacuated as soon as possible."Six of us dug through the snow for three hours, creating a path that was 30 feet long by 4-to-5 feet tall to the parking lot, but that didn't reach the road. We were able to convince a nice gentleman who had some construction equipment to dig a path for us to get our vehicles into the parking lot to the main road," Sloma said.The team triumphed and got the patient to Sloma's vehicle on the road, but the plan to get her to another nursing home fell through because it was also blocked by snow."So, I put her into the back seat of my car, and with the nurse, we transported her to the local hospital. She's now doing great," he said.<h2>By car, by boat, by snowplow</h2><div type="image" title="Fort Myers Beach, Florida, aerial view of damaged property after Hurricane Ian." height="2530" width="3374" msid="98430911" hostid="261" sizebytes="867516"></div>As Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas and Louisiana in 2017, Ariel Brigham sat on the roof of her Houston home, waiting to be rescued. She watched the water engulf her house and flood the area around her. She was trapped. But the rising water level was not the only danger Brigham was facing. The hurricane meant that she could not get kidney dialysis for seven days. Even after she got to the safety of a friend's house, Brigham was still in mortal danger."I gained 30 pounds of fluid, and I was extremely swollen — my face, my hands, my legs, my whole body was super swollen. It was tough, and pretty much all I could do was sleep," she <a href="https://www.kidneyfund.org/article/7-days-without-dialysis-surviving-hurricane" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. When she finally reached a hospital, she said, "I was basically at the point where they said my heart was slowing down. But even then, I had to wait another four hours before I could dialyze."Like many dialysis patients, Brigham needed treatment every three days to replace the function of normal kidneys. Dialysis patients need their blood cleared through this procedure. <a href="https://www.kidney.org/sites/default/files/v27_a2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Each missed session increases the risk of death by 10%. </a>LaVarne Burton, the president and CEO of the American Kidney Fund, told Insider: "I have known of people who skipped even one session and unfortunately passed away."To meet the extreme-weather health challenge, dialysis-care providers across the US have created disaster-preparedness teams to keep their patients alive. The units are made up of meteorologists, advisors from utility companies, and patient-care staff who meet twice daily when extreme weather endangers patients' lives.Mary Dittrich, the executive vice president and chief medical officer of US Renal Care, and Phil Sarnowski, the senior vice president and business-transformation partner at US Renal Care, described how the teams combat a potential weather disaster. The disaster-response teams can be a lifeline, whether that's by driving a car driving through a storm, sailing a boat during a flood, or riding a snowplow through a blizzard.The moment the phone rings with a notification of an imminent weather event, the teams slam a metaphorical red button. The disaster-preparedness teams move quickly to rearrange dialysis appointments and ensure patients can access care facilities, food supplies, and clinical goods. Members of the Red Cross and the National Guard deploy, government offices receive notice, and health commissioners and fire departments remain on standby. Sarnowski told Insider that they also have companies ready to provide water and electricity generators with just 24 hours' notice.<div type="image" title="A snowplow driver talks to a homeowner while removing feet of snow from a residential street in Draper, Utah, on February 23, 2023." height="5336" width="7114" msid="98430912" hostid="261" sizebytes="1037138"></div>Most US renal-care patients have their dialysis at home. There are two types of dialysis: one, called hemodialysis, uses a machine; and the other, peritoneal dialysis, uses a tube in the abdomen."For peritoneal-dialysis patients, which is the majority of our home patients, we train them to do manual exchanges, meaning they can continue their treatments, even in the absence of electricity, manually connecting and disconnecting and running fluids into their stomach or their abdomen and then draining," Dittrich said.<div type="image" title="Senior connecting peritoneal dialysis with catheter at home." height="3840" width="5119" msid="98430914" hostid="261" sizebytes="1106590"></div>For many reasons, but largely because end-stage kidney failure often halts a person's ability to work, many dialysis patients live within a low-income bracket. This can be financially crippling, Burton said. Patients often pay roughly $10,000 a year out of pocket for treatment, she said.That's why the American Kidney Fund has developed a disaster-relief program.Patients can receive $250 when a weather emergency hits, and it can "replace medications if they've lost them, it can fund renal-friendly food, cost of transportation, temporary housing. Whatever they need in order to survive that crisis," she said.<h2>'Extraordinary levels of commitment'</h2><div type="image" title="An abandoned ambulance on a roadside after a historic blizzard pummeled Buffalo Sunday, December 25, 2022." height="4000" width="5333" msid="98431018" hostid="261" sizebytes="1986548"></div>Dittrich said she is deeply concerned about the increasing number of adverse-weather events and emergencies."I'm solidly in the camp that those are due to climate change and will worsen," she said. "I'm dismayed by the number of these that we're seeing and have to prepare for, while, at the same time, being confident in our ability. But they challenge us, they're very stressful and difficult."Dittrich and Sarnowski said the heroes of these stories are the staff who provide the care. For patients that receive their treatments in clinics, they see care staff for 12 hours a week at minimum, Dittrich said, and patients and staff "become like family," hence the "extraordinary levels of commitment."<div type="image" title="Kidney-dialysis patient." height="3744" width="4992" msid="98431020" hostid="261" sizebytes="317200"></div>The dialysis-disaster program has produced a "blueprint for coordinated efforts between historic competitors," Dittrich said."Medical companies work together. We take other providers' patients, we take hospital patients, they take ours, we share supplies, we share generators, we share water," Dittrich said. The collaborations were "validating, affirming, and inspiring," she said.For Sloma, who organized the lifesaving rescue of one dialysis patient in snowbound upstate New York, this is certainly true."All things considered, even having to shovel a lot of snow, it was probably the most meaningful Christmas Day that I've ever had," he said.

The medical 'heroes' who help save the lives of kidney-dialysis patients when massive storms hit the US

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Radu Sigheti/ReutersA nurse prepares a dialysis machine.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>The Trump Administration recently announced plans to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-executive-order-on-kidney-care-transplants-and-home-dialysis-2019-7">reshape how people get care for kidney disease</a> by pushing for more people to get care at home, rather than in special centers.</li><li>People whose kidneys don't work properly can undergo a treatment called dialysis to clean their blood. Currently, just 12% of patients get dialysis at home in the US. </li><li>President Donald Trump issued an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-taking-bold-new-approach-advance-kidney-health/">executive order</a> on kidney care earlier this month. The administration aims to have 80% of patients with kidney failure either getting home-based care or receiving transplants by 2025.</li><li>Right now, for-profit companies Fresenius Medical Care and DaVita control a large portion of the kidney-care market. They largely operate centers where people go three times a week to get dialysis.</li><li>A slew of companies are seeking to disrupt the market by offering cheaper and more convenient care at home. They could benefit from Trump's executive order and related policies.</li><li>CVS Health recently invested in a hemodialysis device, and Cricket Health, Outset Medical, and Somatus are trying to break into the market. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories.</a> </li></ul>In the US, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-taking-bold-new-approach-advance-kidney-health/">37 million people</a> have chronic kidney disease, and it's the ninth leading cause of death. Because such a significant part of the population is affected, and because treatment can be so expensive, the government covers the medical expenses of people with end-stage kidney disease <a href="https://www.medicare.gov/information-for-my-situation/signing-up-for-medicare-if-you-have-esrd">through the Medicare program</a>. In 2016, Medicare spent about <a href="https://www.usrds.org/2018/view/v1_07.aspx">$114 billion</a> caring for people with chronic and end-stage kidney disease. Earlier this month, Trump released an executive order to transform kidney care in the US, reducing costs and improving outcomes for patients by encouraging more home-based kidney care. The order also outlined the need to provide better access to kidney transplants and to prevent kidney disease from progressing.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-executive-order-on-kidney-care-transplants-and-home-dialysis-2019-7">Trump just announced a new approach to caring for millions of people with a devastating disease, and it could upend a $114 billion market</a>To address the high cost of kidney care, the goal is to target dialysis, a procedure that filters the blood for people whose kidneys are failing. Currently, <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/leadership/secretary/speeches/2019-speeches/remarks-to-the-national-kidney-foundation.html">88% of patients</a> receive their dialysis in centers. They must go three times a week for hours at a time. By 2025, <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2019/07/10/hhs-launches-president-trump-advancing-american-kidney-health-initiative.html">The Trump administration wants 80%</a> of patients who are newly diagnosed with kidney failure to be able to get care at home or get a kidney transplant.Home-based dialysis treatment can be better for patients, as patients can perform their own dialysis more frequently, leading to improved health and potentially lower costs."Home dialysis has a lot of advantages in terms of quality of life, convenience, and control of one's schedule," said <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/staff/18239-leslie-wong">Dr. Leslie Wong</a>, the vice chairman of the Department of Nephrology and Hypertension at Cleveland Clinic. "I've been in the field for 15 years and physicians have been supportive of home dialysis since I began practicing." For-profit companies DaVita, Fresenius, US Renal Care, and American Renal Associates operate centers where people can get dialysis. Currently, Fresenius and DaVita control about 75% of the market, according to an analysis from S&amp;P Global. US Renal Care has about 5% and and American Renal Associates has 3%, S&amp;P said.Startups like Somatus, Outset Medical, and Cricket Health, which offer different types of kidney care, including home-based dialysis, are trying to break in. CVS Health, which operates in-store clinics and owns the health insurer Aetna, is now investing in home-dialysis technology, too.Never miss out on healthcare news. <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/health-insider">Subscribe to Dispensed</a>, our weekly newsletter on pharma, biotech, and healthcare. There are two types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal. Hemodialysis pumps blood out of the body to an artificial kidney machine and returns the clean blood to the body via tubes connected to the patient. That's the type of dialysis you'd usually get at a center. Peritoneal dialysis fills the abdomen with fluid and uses the membranes in the body as a filter. Most home dialysis is peritoneal, which is easier to do. Medicare spent $28 billion on hemodialysis and about $2 billion on peritoneal dialysis in 2016, according to the <a href="https://www.usrds.org/2018/view/v2_09.aspx">US Renal Data System</a>. Peritoneal dialysis is cheaper on a per-person basis. It cost about $76,000 for each recipient, while hemodialysis cost about $91,000.Business Insider talked to top executives at CVS Health, Cricket Health, Outset Medical, and Somatus, which are all seeking to reshape kidney care. We also checked in with DaVita and Fresenius. Here's what they told us about how the Trump's administration's moves could affect the market and their companies. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/digital-health?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_subscription&amp;itm_content=health&amp;itm_campaign=digital-health-2"></a>

Trump wants to reshape the $114 billion kidney-care market. Here are the 6 companies vying to benefit from the disruption.

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div><ul><li>Dialysis stocks are up Wednesday following <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/midterms-guide-to-healthcare-issues-on-ballot-medicaid-abortion-2018-11">the midterm election</a>. </li><li>The three big dialysis companies all received a bump. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/dva-stock">DaVita HealthCare is up 14%</a>, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/ara-stock">American Renal Associates is up 4%</a>, and <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/fms-stock">Fresenius Medical is up 9%</a>. </li><li>Healthy kidneys help the body filter out impurities from the blood, and dialysis helps replace that function for patients whose kidneys aren't working properly.</li><li>The uptick in stocks in the industry is due to voter rejection of Proposition 8 in California. </li><li>The ballot measure would have limited a dialysis clinic's revenue to 115% of the average cost of dialysis treatment in the state, according to analysts at Leerink. </li><li>If Proposition 8 had passed, DaVita, one of the largest providers of dialysis, would have lost $450 million a year, <a href="https://californiahealthline.org/news/dialysis-giant-davita-defends-itself-in-court-and-at-the-polls/">California Healthline reported.</a></li></ul><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/ai-in-us-healthcare?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=ctgr&amp;utm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_content=dhealth_ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_campaign=dhealth_ctgr_leadgen_ai_in_us_healthcare"></a></hr>

Dialysis stocks surge after California rejected a limit on dialysis clinic revenues in the midterm elections

Screenshot, HBOJohn Oliver tackled a healthcare story on Sunday's "Last Week Tonight," and it was a thing of beauty.During his longest segment of the show, Oliver explained what was going on at DaVita Inc., the country's largest for-profit kidney-dialysis company.It's a firm with a $13 billion market cap that hauled in nearly $800 million in profit in 2016, thanks in part to the rise in America of diabetes and heart disease, which can result in kidney complications, and in part to legislation signed by President Richard Nixon in the 1970s approving government funding for all dialysis treatment for Americans."Treating end-stage kidney disease takes up nearly 1% of the entire federal budget," Oliver said. "Just think about that for a second. We devote 2% of the federal budget to the Department of Education, and that's the thing that helps you know what a percent is."So companies like DaVita - helmed by CEO Kent Thiry, an enthusiastic man so obsessed with the movie "The Man in the Iron Mask" that he often wears a Musketeer outfit in company meetings and videos that Oliver says makes him look like "the third-saddest waiter at a Medieval Times" - have been incredibly successful.What Oliver takes issue with, however, is what's happening to DaVita's patients. Both they and former employees have described DaVita as something like a dialysis factory where patients are rushed on and off machines, sometimes before the process is complete."It was all about numbers," said one former employee. "You want to get them in, get their dialysis done, and get the next patient on."Thiry himself has made comments suggesting a lack of focus on patient outcomes."I almost never refer to patients in the entire thing because, for me, it's not about the patients - it's about the teammates," he told business students at UCLA in a clip Oliver played. "If I had 1,400 Taco Bells and 32,000 people who worked in them, I would be doing all the same stuff."Because of that speed, the company has had issues with infection and disease control in its facilities across the country, according to Oliver. California is attempting to <a href="http://www.nbcsandiego.com/investigations/Bill-To-Strengthen-Regulations-For-Kidney-Dialysis-Centers-Moves-Forward-417538903.html">pass legislation to strengthen</a> oversight of dialysis centers like DaVita, which currently need to be inspected only every six years, while hospitals must be inspected every two and nursing homes annually - and these centers don't require doctors to be on-site either.We should note, as Oliver did, that the company has paid close to $1 billion over the last five years to settle allegations including paying doctors kickbacks in exchange for referrals and overcharging Medicare for medicine.DaVita didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.Watch the full segment: <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/episode-4-the-bottom-line-with-henry-blodget-2017-4">WATCH! This week's episode of The Bottom Line with Henry Blodget</a></h3> Please enable Javascript to watch this video

John Oliver tackled a healthcare story last night, and it was a thing of beauty

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1784784" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="FibroGen">FibroGen</keyword> tumbled 43% after issuing a clarification on late-stage safety analyses for its <keyword id="511809" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Anemia">anemia</keyword> drug candidate, roxadustat.</li><li>The company said it identified "post-hoc changes to the stratification factors."</li><li>FibroGen has a meeting in July with an <keyword id="6354656" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="fda">FDA</keyword> committee about its <keyword id="441018" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="New-Drug-Application">new drug application</keyword> for roxadustat. </li></ul><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/fgen-stock">FibroGen shares</a> plunged as much as 43% on Wednesday after the biopharmaceutical developer said there were errors in certain disclosures about safety analyses for its anemia drug candidate roxadustat.In a late Tuesday statement about phase 3 testing data for roxadustat, FibroGen CEO Enrique Conterno said the company "became aware that the primary cardiovascular safety analyses included post-hoc changes to the stratification factors."Conterno said the company became aware of the changes to the stratification factors as members of senior management prepared for a meeting with the Food and Drug Administration's advisory committee about roxadustat."We promptly decided to clarify this issue with the FDA and communicate with the scientific and investment communities," he said.FibroGen said it now cannot conclude that roxadustat is superior to reducing risks of cardiovascular events compared with epoetin-alfa, an already approved drug that can aid the body in producing red blood cells. Roxadustat is aimed at orally treating anemia in chronic kidney disease patients who are dependent or non-dependent on dialysis."It is important to emphasize that this does not impact our conclusion regarding the comparability, with respect to cardiovascular safety, of roxadustat to epoetin-alfa in dialysis-dependent patients and to placebo in non-dialysis dependent patients," said Conterno. "We continue to have confidence in roxadustat's benefit risk profile."The FDA's advisory committee is tentatively scheduled to review the roxadustat application on July 15.

FibroGen plunges 43% after the company says there were errors in safety analyses data for its anemia drug candidate

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>A drone has delivered a kidney to a transplant patient in an apparent world first.</li><li>The researcher leading the project hailed it as a triumph, and described it as "Uber for organs."</li><li>The patient, a 44-year old nursing assistant from Baltimore, spent the last eight years on dialysis.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul>Researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center are celebrating successfully carrying a kidney to a transplant patient using a drone, in what they claim is a world first.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=83&amp;v=RNYCCbCpAlM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The university published a video following the test delivery</a>, although it is not made clear how far the organ travelled and what kind of advantage this gave the researchers over traditional transportation.Moving organs is an incredibly time-sensitive task, as they only remain viable for transport for a short amount of time. Using a drone theoretically allows medics to bypass traffic and other potential complications.The drone was not just a delivery vehicle either. It was able to monitor and maintain vital criteria like the kidney's temperature in real-time. It was also fitted with backup propellers, dual batteries, and a parachute to protect its precious payload.Dr. Joseph Scalea, an assistant professor of surgery at the university, <a href="https://www.umms.org/ummc/news/2019/pioneering-breakthrough-unmanned-aircraft#Video" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in a press statement</a> that the technology would allow patients to be implanted with more "marginal" organs - organs that wouldn't be viable if there was any kind of time delay - and could end up adding "as many as 2,500 kidneys a year" to the donor pool."It's like Uber for organs," Scalea <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/30/health/drone-delivers-kidney.html">told The New York Times,</a> which reported that the drone flew 44 test flights over 700 hours in preparation.The recipient of the kidney was Trina Glispy, a 44-year-old nursing assistant from Baltimore who had spent eight years on dialysis before the transplant."I feel very fortunate, especially after watching so many people pass being on dialysis," Glipsy told the Times. According to the university press release, she was discharged from the hospital last Tuesday.You can watch the drone's flight here:<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/drones-101?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=ctgr&amp;utm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_content=transportation_ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_campaign=transportation_ctgr_leadgen_drones_101"></a><div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/5g-high-speed-internet-cellular-network-issues-switch-2019-4">5G networks will be 10 times faster than 4G LTE, but we shouldn't get too excited yet</a></h3> <div> </div> </div></hr></hr>

A drone delivered a kidney to a transplant patient for the first time and it's beed dubbed 'Uber for organs'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A new Stanford University <keyword id="6355244" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="study">study</keyword> has found that fewer than 10% of adults in the US had <keyword id="9004085" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus-antibodies">coronavirus antibodies</keyword> in July.</li><li>Published <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32009-2/fulltext">by The Lancet</a> on Friday, it studied more than 28,000 dialysis patients to determine how many had formed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.</li><li>"This research clearly confirms that despite high rates of COVID-19 in the United States, the number of people with antibodies is still low and we haven't come close to achieving herd immunity," said Julie Parsonnet, co-author of the study and professor of medicine at Stanford University.</li></ul>Fewer than 10% of adult Americans had <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> antibodies in July, <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32009-2/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a new study published by The Lancet</a> has found.The medical journal published the Stanford University study of 28,503 dialysis patients living in 46 states on Friday. However, only 10% of those found to have antibodies had previously tested positive for the coronavirus. Researchers collected blood plasma from patients alongside Ascend Clinical Laboratories to determine how many had formed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19."Public <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> efforts to limit SARS-CoV-2 spread need to especially target racial and ethnic minority and densely populated communities," it noted.The study chose patients undergoing dialysis for kidney failure as they regularly attend medical appointments, have their blood drawn, and have access to Medicare.Those identified with the antibodies varied by location and race, and residents of low-income neighborhoods were twice as likely to have had the coronavirus than higher-income ones.Black and Hispanic patients were also two to three times more likely to have had the coronavirus, the study found.The study noted that the possibility of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/herd-immunity-is-a-deadly-non-strategy-2020-9">herd immunity</a> remains "out of reach," adding that this was the same conclusion as significant studies in the UK and Spain, which both had large outbreaks this year."This research clearly confirms that despite high rates of COVID-19 in the United States, the number of people with antibodies is still low and we haven't come close to achieving herd immunity," said Dr. Julie Parsonnet, co-author of the study and professor of medicine at Stanford University.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/herd-immunity-is-a-deadly-non-strategy-2020-9">Herd immunity,</a> where enough people in a population have come into contact with the virus that they become immune and it no longer continues to spread, has recently been criticized by health officials.Vaccinologist Florian Krammer <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-states-unintentional-herd-immunity-strategy-curbed-covid-spread-2020-8">told Business Insider</a>: "The only way to achieve herd immunity is through vaccination. Everything else is ethically questionable."Would you take a vaccine that kills 1% of people who get vaccinated and protects the remaining ones — but of the remaining ones, 90% get sick? That's what infection does."It echoes recent comments from experts who said that, despite not implementing a full lockdown, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sweden-decline-coronavirus-deaths-cases-2020-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sweden's recent drop in coronavirus deaths</a> was not down to herd immunity as was widely believed."They basically reached this plateau now, whereas others reached it a few months ago," Christian Althaus, an epidemiologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sweden-decline-coronavirus-deaths-cases-2020-9">told Business Insider</a>. "Because they're lifting measures now, case numbers will probably go up."

Fewer than 10% of US adults were found to have coronavirus antibodies, according to a new study

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Mike Segar/ReutersUS President Donald Trump.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>President Donald Trump will release an executive order today that could transform care for people with kidney disease.</li><li>The goal is to encourage more home-based kidney care and to lower the burden on the Medicare budget. Medicare pays for most care for people with severe kidney disease.</li><li>Around 37 million people in the US have kidney disease with 12% using home-based kidney care. The Trump administration wants to increase this number to 80% by 2025. </li><li>Analysts at SVB Leerink, led by Ana Gupte, said that some big health insurers like CVS Health and UnitedHealth Group stand to benefit from the executive order. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories. </a></li></ul>President Donald Trump<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-taking-bold-new-approach-advance-kidney-health/">just signed an executive order</a> that could transform how the US cares for people with a costly and devastating disease.Trump's order encourages more home-based care for people with kidney disease, with the goal of lowering US spending on people whose kidneys aren't working. The US government pays for the vast majority of care for people with failing kidneys through the Medicare program.The US Medicare program spent about <a href="https://www.usrds.org/2018/view/v1_07.aspx">$114 billion</a> caring for people with chronic and end-stage kidney disease in 2016. That's more than 20% of traditional Medicare spending that year. Around <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-taking-bold-new-approach-advance-kidney-health/">37 million people</a> in the US have chronic kidney disease, which is the ninth leading cause of death. "We are determined to give you the best treatment in the world," Trump said during the signing of the executive order. "We have made a lot of progress and we're with you every step of the way.<h2>The big business of caring for people with kidney disease</h2>Providing care for people with kidney disease is a big business in the US. For-profit companies DaVita, Fresenius and American Renal Associates operate centers where people can get dialysis, a procedure that filters the blood for people whose kidneys are failing. Analysts at SVB Leerink led by Ana Gupte said that American Renal will be negatively impacted by the order as the company has not invested as much in home-based care, while competitors DaVita and Fresenius have been investing in this area of kidney health. The stocks of the dialysis companies declined yesterday, after <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/08/trump-kidney-care-market-1573651">Politico reported</a> on the Trump administration's plans late on Monday.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Radu Sigheti/ReutersA nurse prepares a dialysis machine.</div></div></div>In a statement, DaVita said it's already the largest provider of in-home dialysis in the US."We will continue to work with the Administration and Congress to launch programs that address broader care opportunities," said Javier Rodriguez, CEO for DaVita Inc in a <a href="http://pressreleases.davita.com/2019-07-09-DaVita-Continues-to-Transform-Patient-Care-Pushes-for-Continued-Innovation-in-Kidney-Care">statement released yesterday</a>. Fresenius and American Renal didn't return requests for comment.Big insurance companies including CVS Cigna, UnitedHealth and Anthem, could benefit from the executive order, Gupte said, because they're investing in home-based dialysis. In-home dialysis is typically less costly, and can be more convenient for patients.<h2>Trump's executive order</h2>Trump's executive order has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-taking-bold-new-approach-advance-kidney-health/">three main parts</a>.The first is preventing disease progression by curbing diabetes and hypertension, which directly result in kidney health issues. Their goal is to reduce end-stage kidney disease.The second key area is to provide an increase in access to kidney transplants by modernizing the system and regulations. The administration outlined actions to expedite the process of kidney matching to increase transplants. The third key area is to give patients more choices and affordable treatments. This includes improving home dialysis treatment and improving kidney transplants. Currently 12% of people with kidney disease receive home dialysis, according to the Trump administration. The executive order will call for 80% of people to get care at home by 2025. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/digital-health?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_subscription&amp;itm_content=health&amp;itm_campaign=digital-health"></a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/every-total-solar-eclipse-until-2040-video-2017-8">An animated map shows every total solar eclipse around the world until 2040</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Trump just announced a new approach to caring for millions of people with a devastating disease, and it could upend a $114 billion market

The government has validated its intent through Budget to promote startup mindset in the country. Proposals like 100% deduction of profits for 3 out of 5 years for startups established during April, 2016 to March, 2019; lowering to two years the period for getting benefit of long-term capital gain regime in case of unlisted companies from the current three years; and making every bank branch to facilitate at least two projects under 'Stand Up India Scheme' are aimed at encouraging more entrepreneurial ventures in the country. 
 
One announcement that will help all startups across board is the Digital Literacy Mission Scheme for rural India under which the government looks to cover around 6 crore additional households within the next 3 years. This is a great step towards digitizing rural parts of the country and when that will happen, it will provide the population residing there with the opportunity to benefit from online platforms like ours that enables communication between users and doctors from anywhere, anytime. 
 Also, the 'National Dialysis Services Programme’ under National Health Mission is also a remarkable measure to fix the issue of non-availability of renal dialysis centres in the country. The government's effort to introduce facilities of renal dialysis in every district hospital will save the hassles of many who have to travel to metro cities for getting the procedure done again and again , " said Saurabh Arora, Founder &amp; CEO, <keyword id="2798697" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lybrate">Lybrate</keyword>. 
 
About Lybrate 
Lybrate is India’s largest online doctor consultation platform. By connecting doctors and patients through its first-of-its-kind health app and letting them communicate from anywhere, anytime, Lybrate makes healthcare more accessible. Founded by former professionals from Facebook and Snapdeal in 2013, Lybrate is India's number one medical app which allows users to discuss any health issue while keeping their identity anonymous. More than 90,000 doctors and health experts from varied branches of medicine from across India are connected to millions of patients through the technology-driven platform. With such strong network, Lybrate acts as the world's largest online Out Patient Department (OPD). The company raised $10.2 million from Tiger Global, Nexus Venture Partners and Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons Ratan Tata in Series A funding in July 2015. It received $1.23 million in seed funding in August 2014. Lybrate is also Indian Medical Association’s digital partner. 
 
<a href="http://www.newspatrolling.com/wp-content/uploads/Saurabh-Arora-CEO-Lybrate-3.jpg">Image source</a>

Budget 2016 validates its intent to promote startup mindset in the country, says Lybrate founder Saurabh Arora

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Emily McIntire donated her kidney anonymously for her patient.</li><li>Her kidney went to a 21-year-old on the donor list, and her patient was able to get someone else's.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Emily McIntire. It has been edited for length and clarity.As a home <a href="https://www.insider.com/us-aims-to-cut-dialysis-in-centers-increase-transplants-by-2025-2019-7">dialysis</a> nurse, I saw first-hand the toll that <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/conditions-symptoms/chronic-kidney-disease">kidney failure</a> takes on patients and families. People on<a href="https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/homehemo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> home dialysis</a> hook themselves up to a machine between three and seven times a week for treatments that last at least two hours. As a <a href="https://www.insider.com/registered-nurses-worst-part-being-nurse-jobs-2019-5">registered nurse</a>, it was my job to train them how to run the treatment — a process that can sometimes take months. One of my first patients was a man in his early 60s. He and his wife were so gracious to let me learn alongside them. He had all these plans, but he didn't get to do them because he died from kidney failure. It was so sad. That planted the seed of donating a kidney. We all have two kidneys but only need one to stay alive. Through<a href="https://www.kidney.org/transplantation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> living donation</a>, you can give a kidney to someone else, saving their life. I started focusing on my own health, getting into shape while considering a major surgery. Then, a few years after my first patient died, I started caring for Jeff. We bonded over the fact that he was scared of needles — which is not great for a dialysis patient. At one point, he had a living donor. When that fell through, I saw how devastated he was. <h2>I decided to donate my kidney to Jeff</h2>I knew this was my chance: I would donate my kidney to Jeff. My first step was to talk to my employer to make sure there was no conflict of interest; he was my patient after all. When they gave me the OK, I contacted Jeff's transplant team. I passed all the physical tests and was even a blood and tissue match for Jeff. Meanwhile, he had no idea I was the person donating — he was just told an anonymous donor came forward. I wanted to do this whole thing with as little fuss as possible. But at the last minute, there was a snag. Doctors worried that the size difference between Jeff and me was too great. In short, my kidney would be too small for him. That's when I learned about<a href="https://www.kidney.org/transplantation/livingdonors/incompatiblebloodtype" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> paired donation</a>, which is meant to help donors and recipients who aren't a good match for each other. My kidney went to one of the more than<a href="https://www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-donation-and-transplant/transplant-waiting-list#:~:text=There%20are%20more%20than%20106,000,%25)%20waiting%20for%20a%20kidney." target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 100,000 people</a> on the national transplant waiting list, a 21-year-old who had put college on hold when his lupus caused kidney failure. Then, another donor gave her kidney to Jeff. All four of us had our surgeries within a month of each other in June and July 2021. <h2>Now, we're planning our wedding this fall</h2>Even after the surgery, Jeff didn't know I had donated. But the kidney doctor I worked under urged me to share my story. When the hospital asked if we'd be interested in meeting, I said yes, and so did Jeff. The hospital arranged a Zoom call between Jeff, the woman whose kidney was transplanted into him, and me, the person who was responsible for his kidney donation. At first, he was very confused about why I was on the call. Then he was blown away. He didn't know what to say. <div type="image" title="Emily McIntire hiking with Jeff" height="1319" width="1758" msid="99737572" hostid="261" sizebytes="266214"></div>That was the last time Jeff and I were speechless around each other. After that Zoom call we met for coffee, and we haven't stopped talking since. We hike together often, something Jeff loves but wasn't able to do when he was in kidney failure. About 15 months after the transplant, we got engaged. We're getting married in October. <h2>I hope more people consider living donation</h2>People tell us that our story sounds like a Hallmark movie. Others say I'm a hero, or they could never do what I didn't. But they can — and you can too. I would love to see kidney donation normalized like blood donation. Everyone should know they don't have to be a match or know someone in kidney failure to make a difference. Jeff's kidney is from an altruistic donor, someone who had no personal connection, but felt called to donate. After the surgery, I was out of work for five weeks. The pain wasn't too bad, but the financial impact was. I was on short-term disability and had to pay for my own benefit costs for those weeks. Family helped me get through. Now I work for<a href="https://strivehealth.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Strive Health</a>, a kidney care provider that tries to reach people before they need dialysis. Strive gives all employees eight weeks of paid leave if they become a living donor. That would have been a game changer for me, and more policies like these could save lives by making donation easier. Donating a kidney is<a href="https://www.kidney.org/transplantation/livingdonors" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> a big ask, and a big give</a>. But when I hike with my soon-to-be husband, I'm so glad I took the chance.

I was a dialysis nurse who donated a kidney for my patient. Now, we're engaged.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Brian Pinker, 82, was the first person to receive <keyword id="6409874" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="astrazeneca">AstraZeneca</keyword> and <keyword id="46985" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Oxford">Oxford</keyword> University's <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> <keyword id="24209" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="vaccine">vaccine</keyword> on Monday morning as the <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> began its rollout, the country's National <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">Health</keyword> Service said.</li><li>Pinker, a dialysis patient, said he was "so pleased" to get the shot and could now look forward to celebrating his wedding anniversary with his wife in 2021.</li><li>The second person to get the shot was an 88-year-old father of three named Trevor Cowlett, and the third was Andrew Pollard, an Oxford professor who pioneered the vaccine.</li><li>The UK authorized AstraZeneca and Oxford's jab on Wednesday and is due to receive 100 million doses — enough for 50 million people to be vaccinated.</li></ul>An 82-year-old man was the first person to receive the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University since the UK began its rollout, the country's National Health Service said Monday.Brian Pinker, a dialysis patient in Oxford, England, who has kidney disease, got the shot at 7:30 a.m. GMT, or 2:30 a.m. ET, at Oxford University Hospital, the NHS said in a <a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/2021/01/nhs-becomes-first-health-service-in-the-world-to-deliver-life-saving-oxford-jab/">statement</a>."I'm so pleased to be getting the COVID vaccine today and really proud it is one that was invented in Oxford," said Pinker, who is a retired maintenance manager."The nurses, doctors, and staff today have all been brilliant, and I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife, Shirley, later this year."The second person to receive AstraZeneca's shot was an 88-year-old father of three and music teacher named Trevor Cowlett, according to the NHS. The third was Andrew Pollard, an Oxford professor who pioneered the new jab.The UK says patients must get the follow-up booster shot within 12 weeks of receiving their first dose of the vaccine, which was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca-oxford-say-70-percent-effective-2020-11">70% effective</a> on average in a late-stage trial at preventing COVID-19 symptoms.Health authorities in the UK <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oxford-astrazeneca-coronavirus-authorized-emergency-use-in-uk-2020-12">authorized emergency use</a> of AstraZeneca and Oxford's vaccine on Wednesday, amid surging <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> cases in the country.The UK has ordered 100 million doses of the two-dose shot, enough for 50 million people to be vaccinated.It's the second COVID-19 vaccine to be given the green light in the country after Pfizer and BioNTech's shot was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pfizer-and-biontech-covid-19-vaccines-approved-by-uk-regulator-2020-11">authorized</a> on December 2.Unlike Pfizer's vaccine, which has to be stored at ultracold temperatures, the AstraZeneca one can be kept in a standard refrigerator, making it easier to distribute and administer.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-moderna-developed-coronavirus-vaccine-record-time-2020-11?r=kd-sub">Inside Moderna's historic coronavirus vaccine program that transformed the biotech upstart into a $55 billion drug industry powerhouse</a>Sam Foster, the chief nursing officer at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who vaccinated Pinker, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-55527195">told</a> the BBC: "It was a real privilege to be able to deliver the first Oxford vaccine at the Churchill Hospital here in Oxford, just a few hundred meters from where it was developed.""We look forward to vaccinating many more patients and health and care staff with the Oxford vaccine in the coming weeks which will make a huge difference to people living in the communities we serve and the staff who care for them in our hospitals."

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