House Bill 649

(As Passed the House)

AN ACT TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE ACT; TO MAKE CERTAIN FINDINGS REGARDING CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE; TO REQUIRE THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO ANNUALLY NOTIFY HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS WITH PATIENTS AT RISK FOR CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SCREENING FOR KIDNEY DISEASE; TO URGE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS TO BEGIN TREATMENT MODALITY EDUCATION WHEN KIDNEY FUNCTION IS DECLINING; TO URGE CLINICAL LABORATORIES TO REPORT THE PATIENT'S GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE ON ANY SERUM CREATININE TEST ORDERED BY A HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Mississippi Chronic Kidney Disease Act."

SECTION 2. (1) The State of Mississippi finds that:

(a) Numerous studies denote that more than twenty million (20,000,000) Americans, about one (1) in nine (9) adults, have a form of chronic kidney disease. Of these, more than eight million (8,000,000) have seriously reduced kidney functions that, if left untreated, may progress to stage five (5) chronic kidney disease. This stage of chronic kidney disease is commonly referred to as renal failure or end stage renal disease.

(b) ESRD is usually the result of years of chronic kidney disease caused by diabetes mellitus and hypertension, inherited conditions, or other insult to the kidneys, and the two (2) primary contributing factors accounting for more than sixty percent (60%) of new cases of chronic kidney disease are diabetes and hypertension.

(c) Per the National Kidney Foundation K/DOQI Clinical Practice Guidelines for Chronic Kidney Disease, the patient's Glomerular Filtration Rate (which is estimated from a patient's blood level of creatinine by using a prediction equation) indicates how much kidney function a patient has and can aid a health care professional in determining if a patient may have kidney disease, and if so, the stage of kidney disease.

(2) Accordingly, the State of Mississippi declares the purposes of this act are to:

(a) Require the State Department of Health to annually notify health care professionals who assume responsibility for patients with diabetes, hypertension, or a family history of kidney disease about the importance of screening patients for chronic kidney disease via routine laboratory assessment of kidney function;

(b) Urge the health care professional, when kidney function is declining, to begin treatment modality education including peritoneal dialysis;

(c) Urge clinical laboratories, when testing a specimen as ordered by a health care professional to determine a patient's serum creatinine, to also calculate and report to the health care professional the patient's Glomerular Filtration Rate using such information as provided by the health care professional or patient, as applicable; and

(d) Recognize that public policy initiatives targeted at early identification of individuals at risk for chronic kidney disease can reduce the serious long-term effects of chronic kidney disease on the affected population, thereby potentially lowering the significant economic burden on Mississippi's health care system while improving the quality of life for the citizens of Mississippi.

SECTION 3. The State Department of Health shall promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement and administer this act.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.