ASN joins ABIM Foundation's Choosing Wisely campaign

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the world's leading kidney organization, joins the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation, eight other leading national medical specialty societies and Consumer Reports in the Choosing Wisely campaign. This campaign will help physicians, patients and other health care professionals address overuse of health care resources in the United States.

The campaign supports ABIM Foundation's goal of improving health care outcomes and avoiding unnecessary and even harmful interventions in order to improve patient care and reduce the rapidly-expanding costs of the health care system. If current trends remain unchanged, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services project U.S. health care spending will reach $4.3 trillion (19.3 percent of the nation's gross domestic product) by 2019.

As part of the campaign, ASN has convened a group of experts to develop a list of tests or procedures that kidney patients and physicians should question and discuss. These lists will be released in April 2012 and will spark discussion about the need - or lack thereof - for many frequently ordered tests or treatments in America.

"ASN looks forward to working with the ABIM Foundation and other leading societies to improve care for patients through the Choosing Wisely Campaign," states ASN President Ronald J. Falk, MD, FASN. "ASN's unwavering dedication to this important effort reflects the society's obligation to improve the lives of the nearly 30 million Americans with kidney disease," he adds. "The campaign also reflects my personal commitment that ASN and its nearly 14,000 members provide high-quality, patient-centered care."

Through its Quality and Patient Safety Task Force, ASN is developing tools to help kidney care professionals address potential patient safety issues and work with Medicare to identify appropriate quality measures for dialysis patients. ASN regularly advocates for improved care for patients, better health for populations, and lower healthcare costs,

Joining ASN and ABIM Foundation in Choosing Wisely are:

•American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
•American Academy of Family Physicians
•American College of Cardiology
•American College of Physicians
•American College of Radiology
•American Gastroenterological Association
•American Society of Clinical Oncology
•American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
•Consumer Reports