Birth and Kidneys

Another month is upon us. Time flies whether you're having fun or not!

The second issue of my "child," ASN Kidney News, is at the printer. The whole process of starting this magazine is sort of like giving birth every other month without the benefit of drugs. It is a labor of love, though, much like childbirth. It has been fun to explore issues and updates outside of my usual scientific and clinical relm. The March issue will feature dialysis issues. For those of you who don't practice nephrology, the folks at Medicare (which pays for most dialysis treatments in the US) have come up with new "conditions for coverage" which must be met if we want to be reimbursed for providing treatments. The stated purpose of these new changes is to improve patient care and outcomes. The secondary purpose seems to be killing more trees to generate all the required paperwork. So far, my life hasn't been affected too much (and it is all about me).

On a more uplifting note, World Kidney Day is coming up (see logo above). WKD started to educate everyone about the rising risk of kidney disease. This year it falls on my birthday, so I feel it will be a truly magical occasion. Go kidneys!