The American Kidney Fund (AKF) announced a collaboration with Backpack Health® on a secure mobile and web-based personal health records management service. This service is to help people who are living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney failure to more easily organize and keep track of their health records.*

The complexity of CKD and its associated medical conditions usually means that patients have a broad network of providers, including a:

• Primary care physician
• Nephrologist
• Cardiologist
• Dietician
• Endocrinologist
• Pharmacist

Using the new management system, kidney patients and their caregivers will be able to centralize their health information, such as lab results and medication data, in one place—from which they can share it with the various members of their healthcare team. Membership is free, and accounts are easily translatable into various languages. 

Members of AKF’s Backpack Health group will also have access to:

• Educational content about CKD and kidney failure 
• Patient surveys to help fill in knowledge gaps about unmet needs
• Opportunities for participation in clinical trials 

AKF President and CEO LaVarne A. Burton is excited about the joint venture. The intention is to help members “live their best lives possible,” Burton said. “This partnership with Backpack Health promises to help the patient community we serve to simplify some of the administrative side of living with a chronic illness.” 

*American Kidney Fund. (2020, Oct. 15). American Kidney Fund Partners with Backpack Health® to Help Kidney Patients Better Manage Their Medical Records. [Press release]. https://www.kidneyfund.org/news/news-releases/akf-partners-with-backpack-health.html