Where the true burden of kidney disease can hide in your budget

Knowing whether your employees are at a higher risk for chronic kidney disease could help you cut current and future costs – and save lives.

Today in the United States, one in seven Americans is living with chronic kidney disease. Patients who are at a higher risk for CKD include those with diabetes, pre-diabetes and hypertension.

“A benefits director who sees the percentage of their population with diabetes going up, high blood pressure going up, heart disease going up – inevitably chronic kidney disease and kidney failure are going to be right behind them,” says Mark Snyder, a former benefits director and current chief financial officer at Rejuvenate Kidney Transplant Solutions.

While many people with CKD don’t even know they have it, the disease can develop and progress rapidly. Once a patient reaches kidney failure, also known as End-Stage Renal Disease or ESRD, the burden on a self-insured employer is around $20 thousand per person, per month.

Benefits directors might assume that dialysis is the extent of the burden on their budget, but Snyder knows otherwise. “While the total cost for each person with kidney failure averages out to $20 thousand per month, it could be as high as $30 thousand due to other costs associated with ESRD,” he says.

People suffering from kidney failure can experience additional complications requiring treatment or hospitalization. This list includes, but isn’t limited to, fluid retention around a person’s heart and lungs, as well as a heart attack or stroke.

“It all adds up to a significant amount of money, and it’s just getting worse over time,” says Snyder. “End-stage renal disease has tripled in the last 20 years and is only becoming more prevalent. As you have more people with kidney failure, you’re going to spend more on dialysis and some of the other issues related to ESRD.”

Kidney transplantation is widely accepted as the gold standard of care for people with kidney failure, as transplant recipients are not only healthier than those on dialysis but also live an average of ten years longer.

Fortunately, Rejuvenate Kidney Transplant Solutions can put a stop to dialysis and these increasing costs – and even help roll them back. Using its Nobel Prize-winning data-driven process, Rejuvenate identifies kidney failure patients earlier and gets them transplanted faster, resulting in significant cost savings for employers and a better quality of life for their employees.

“The full burden of ESRD is hidden in the budget because the cost can include more than just dialysis,” says Snyder. “It’s also hidden in what your employees are going through. If we could walk in the shoes of someone who is or has been on dialysis, I think this sells itself in what it can do for the person, alone.”

“Even if I would only break even, I would still offer a program like Rejuvenate because of the impact it has on individuals,” he adds. “A transplant allows them a longer life to work productively and be more present with their families.”

If you have employees with kidney failure or are progressing toward it, learn how Rejuvenate can help you reduce costs and help your employees live longer, healthier lives. Schedule your needs analysis today.