ASN President Seeks to Redefine the Standard of Care

In her opening address at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week, ASN President Deidra C. Crews, MD, called on health care providers and advocates to address social disparities among patients with kidney disease and “redefine the standard of care.”

Crews pointed out several ways in which the ASN is leading the way in this effort, including collaborating with federal agencies to increase funding and improve policy, working with global entities (such as the European Renal Association and the International Society of Nephrology) to increase kidney care awareness, partnering with specialty groups to enhance education and training, and leading clinical trials of interventions addressing the effects of structural racism and other inequities and their impact on disparities in kidney health.

In 2021, the ASN, along with the National Kidney Foundation, led a review of the use of race in eGFR calculations that ultimately led to the adoption of a race-free measure. The previous calculation is believed to have resulted in the underestimation of kidney disease severity for many Black patients, and negatively affected their candidacy and wait time for transplant.