Even until recently, it has been believed that hemodialysis technologies were already well developed and did not require any further expansion. This is a fallacy.
Due to the poor reimbursement of hemodialysis procedures, the equipment required for hemodialysis must be kept inexpensive. Therefore, there are no financial incentives to manufacture hemodialysis equipment or supplies. With no industrial support, the development of new and improved methods for treating end‐‐stage renal failure patients has substantially declined and is very difficult to obtain. Since the US government expends its financial resources on mantaining the growing number of hemodialysis patients, their funding has not been focused on the needed research for improved methods of mantaining end‐‐stage renal failure patients. Today, this level of funding is almost non‐‐existent.
Contrary to current belief, there is a desperate need to develop and improve hemodialysis technologies. The question is how to break this vicious cycle and improve our artificial kidney technologies with more efficient and less expensive renal assist technologies under today's negative environment.