MISSION AND GOALS

  • Mission
    The mission of the Missouri Kidney Program (MoKP) is to help to meet the educational needs, and to promote the physical and mental well-being of eligible Missouri residents with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
  • Goals
    In order to accomplish this mission, the Missouri Kidney Program is committed to the following goals:
    • To advocate for policies that ensure no Missourian is denied treatment for kidney failure because of inability to pay.
    • To provide financial help to eligible Missourians to defray the in-direct medical expenses related to CKD Stage 5.
      • Benefits range from medications, transportation, and insurance premiums assistance depending on available funding.
    • To provide and support the CKD education of Missourians:
      • To promote public awareness and prevention of CKD.
      • To help select an appropriate treatment for kidney failure and to encourage active participation in their medical care.
      • To provide continuing education seminars to the professional disciplines working with the CKD population.
    • To increase public awareness of the need for organ donation, and to encourage kidney donations for transplantation.
    • To collaborate with other organizations on efforts to prevent kidney disease.
    • To promote efforts to delay or avoid the onset of kidney failure for those who have CKD which will reduce associated cost of care.
    • To foster the exchange of medical, technical and administrative information among programs and professionals who treat people with CKD.

HISTORY AND LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY

In March 1968, the Missouri Legislature appropriated $100,000 to the University of Missouri Board of Curators for a state kidney program to assist Missouri's end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population with life-sustaining dialysis. The Missouri Regional Medical Program (MoRMP), a federally funded program administratively attached to the University of Missouri, was chosen by the Missouri Legislature to develop the state renal disease program. The MoRMP agreed to absorb the administrative costs so all state dollars could be targeted for direct patient care.

Five potential sites were visited by members of the MoRMP Regional Advisory Group, and two awards were made to Washington University-St. Louis and Kansas City General Hospital-Kansas City. During FY69, 17 Missouri ESRD patients received state and federal assistance for dialysis at these two facilities.

In 1973, the United States Congress passed Public Law No. 92-603, extending Medicare coverage to ESRD patients after a three-month waiting period. This made treatment available to nearly everyone and has vastly increased the number of ESRD patients receiving therapy. Also, in 1976 the Regional Medical Programs were phased out, making it necessary to identify another organization to administer the program. The Missouri Kidney Program (MoKP) was established and an advisory council was formed to provide oversight as the MoRMP Regional Advisory Group had done in the past.

Since 1977, the Missouri Kidney Program also has sponsored cost-containment research and demonstration projects aimed at increasing the cost-effectiveness of patient care, and in 1983 a state-wide pre-dialysis education program was begun. These unique programs serve as national models for other state kidney programs.

Annual legislative appropriations have continued, and in FY2008 net funding was $3,896,271. The Missouri Kidney Program provided assistance to 2,691 ESRD patients through contracts with 147 participating facilities.


ADVISORY COUNCIL

The Missouri Kidney Program Advisory Council is a multi-disciplinary body appointed by the Dean of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine. Council membership includes individuals with appropriate knowledge and experience representing interested agencies and health care disciplines. Every effort is made to provide diverse disciplinary and geographic representation. In addition, one member each of the Missouri House of Representatives and Senate is appointed to the Council.

The Advisory Council meets at least three times per year and performs the following basic functions:

  • Provides general program direction and oversight, including the development of program policies, priorities and initiatives, in collaboration with the Missouri Kidney Program staff. The Dean of the Medical School retains final policy-making authority.
  • Collaborates with the Missouri Kidney Program staff and Dean's Office to develop the annual legislative funding request.
  • Reviews requests from ESRD facilities for annual patient assistance awards subsequent to site visits and/or subcommittee review. Reviews subcommittee funding recommendations and makes final recommendations to the Missouri Kidney Program.
  • Reviews and approves cost-containment research funding proposals subsequent to technical review committee evaluation and recommendations.
  • Assists the Dean with evaluation of program and administrative effectiveness, including recruitment and evaluation of the Missouri Kidney Program director.
  • Assists the Missouri Kidney Program director with legislative advocacy and education efforts.
  • Between Advisory Council meetings the Council's executive committee provides the primary liaison with the Missouri Kidney Program staff, consulting on managerial and policy issues. Current members of the executive committee are Dr. Venkataraman Ramachandran, Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and Dr. Michael Young, a nephrologist in private practice in Jefferson City and James Campbell, PhD of University of Missouri School of Family and Community Medicine.

Advisory Council Members
Bridget Andrews, MSW, LCSW
Social Worker
St. Louis, Missouri 		Bill Buck
Patient Advocate
Grain Valley, MO
Christy Duffel, MSW, LCSW
Social Worker
Ozarks Dialysis Services, Springfield
 Cheryl Cress
Clinical Nurse Coordinator
Washington University, St. Louis
Jane Hafner
Nurse Administrator
Nxt Stage, Kansas City
 Laura E. Hesemann, MD, MSCI
Assistant Professor of Clinical Child Health & Medicine
University of Missouri, Columbia
Frank O'Brien, MBBCh, MRCPI
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Renal Division
Washington University in St. Louis 		Carol Thoma-Perry, MSW, LCSW
Social Worker
DaVita, Kansas City
Patty Parker
Administrator
Branson, Missouri 		Kelli Small
Patient Advocate
California, Missouri
Mark Wakefield, MD
Chief, Division of Urology
Program Director, Urology Residency Program
Associate Professor of Surgery/Urology
University of Missouri, Columbia
 Preethi Yerram, MD
Nephrologist
University of Missouri, Columbia
Marie Philipneri, MD, PhD
Professor of Internal Medicine/Nephrology
Saint Louis University, Saint Louis
MoKP Advisory Council Partners / Non-Voting Members
James Campbell
Emeritus Member
 Bill Morrissey
Kilgore's Medical Pharmacy
Kathleen Davis
National Kidney Foundation
 Debbie Ulm
Network 12
Marla Lampp
School of Medicine, University of Missouri
 J. Eggleston
House Representative

ADMINISTRATION

The Missouri Kidney Program is administered by a director appointed by the Dean of the University of Missouri School of Medicine, in consultation with the Advisory Council. The director is responsible for hiring and supervising the Missouri Kidney Program staff and for implementing the goals, objectives and policies of the program as authorized by the Missouri Legislature, the Dean, and the Advisory Council.