The Trump administration’s recent pledge to transform kidney care is cause for hope for late-stage kidney disease patients languishing on transplant lists and in dialysis clinics. However, the administration has not publicized the details of its plans to make at-home dialysis more accessible and to encourage development of artificial kidneys, leaving patients and doctors with many questions.

The focal point of the administration’s plan to improve kidney disease treatment, which has been stagnant for over 40 years, is to increase access to in-home dialysis. The rate of patients undergoing dialysis in the comfort of their own homes remains low but is gradually increasing, thanks in part to the portable, easy-to-use NxStage home dialysis machine.