Kidney failure—and dialysis treatment that follows—is both a life-changing disease for employees and a catastrophic health plan expense for employers and insurers. In fact, according to the National Kidney Foundation, "the annual Medicare spending to treat kidney failure in the U.S. is approximately $31 billion."

Unfortunately, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common. Nearly 10 percent of Americans over 20 years old have some level of CKD. The number of people with kidney disease grows 5 percent each year, according to the University of California San Francisco.

The disease is a "silent killer" that can progress to end stage renal disease (ESRD) unless it's well managed. More than 660,00 Americans have ESRD, meaning that their kidneys have permanently failed and dialysis is required to cleanse the toxins from their bodies. 

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