Read the Leaked P.R. Plan to Spin Our Dialysis Investigation
ProPublica, Nov. 9, 2010, 11:02 a.m.
Update (2:39 p.m.): Kidney Care Partners released an official statement [1].
The umbrella group Kidney Care Partners [2] (KCP), an advocacy and lobbying organization for dialysis providers, patient groups, drug companies and others, drew up a plan to respond to our investigation into dialysis care [3]. We obtained a leaked copy that you can read below. (We have tried to reach the group's communications counsel for comment but have not yet received a response.)
Our Planned Response:
The Message
The attached general talking points have been assembled based on what we assume will be in the ProPublica story on Tuesday. Our talking points focus on communicating four key messages:
* Quality: Quality is very high and on an upward trajectory in the U.S., and the kidney care community is committed to continuing those positive quality trends.
* Patient Education and Early Detection: The kidney community has been a leader in its efforts to educate patients about disease symptoms and effective disease management.
* Care in the U.S. vs. Other Countries: In a worldwide view of kidney care, the U.S. is second in kidney transplantation rates per million population. While excelling in this key area, the U.S. continues to focus on improving in other areas.
* Payment Issues: The kidney care community has worked with Congress to improve and strengthen the integrity of the Medicare benefit to ensure patient access and sustained quality improvements. A key improvement has been the inclusion of a value-based purchasing program and an annual cost of living adjustment.
Points to support these basic messages are provided in the attached document. Because many of these points may be left out of the ProPublica story, we believe it is important for us to reinforce the facts, if asked to react to the content of these stories.
The Process
Schmidt Public Affairs has been in close contact with the reporter and has provided materials and information (as have numerous other KCP members) in an effort to round out the story and ensure that a fair and balanced perspective of the kidney community is reported. Despite our collective efforts, we do not anticipate a balanced presentation, and we therefore feel it
