MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2006 Regular Session
To: Public Health and Welfare
By: Senator(s) Nunnelee, Dearing, Frazier, Harden, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Jordan, Walls, Williamson
AN ACT TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE ACT TO AID HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS IN THE EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD) BY URGING PROVIDERS TO COUNSEL PATIENTS AT RISK FOR CKD, AND URGING LABORATORIES TO REPORT THE GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE (GFR) ON ANY SERUM CREATININE TEST ORDERED BY A HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL; TO AUTHORIZE THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH TO PROMULGATE NECESSARY REGULATIONS; 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 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 (CKD). Of these, more than eight million (8,000,000) have seriously reduced kidney functions, that if left untreated, may progress to stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). This stage of Chronic Kidney Disease is commonly referred to as Renal Failure or End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
(2) ESRD is usually the result of years of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) 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 (CKD) are diabetes and hypertension.
(3) Per the National Kidney Foundation K/DOQI Clinical Practice Guidelines for CKD, GFR (which is estimated from a patient's blood level of creatinine by using a prediction equation), indicates how much kidney function a patient has, can aid a health care professional in determining if a patient may have kidney disease, and if so, the stage of kidney disease.
SECTION 3. The State of Mississippi finds and declares the purposes of this act are:
(a) To urge any health care professional who assumes responsibility for patients with diabetes, hypertension, or a family history of kidney disease, to counsel such patients regarding Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and to test such patients for CKD via routine laboratory assessment of kidney function;
(b) As ordered by a health care professional, clinical laboratories, when testing a specimen to determine a patient's serum creatinine, shall also calculate and report to the health care professional, the patient's Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) using such information as provided by the health care professional or patient, as applicable;
(c) To recognize that public policy initiatives targeted at early identification of individuals at risk for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) can reduce the serious long-term effects of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) 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 4. The Mississippi State Board of Health shall promulgate such rules as are necessary to implement and administer Section 3 of this act.
SECTION 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2006.