Nephrology Referral Research Articles

Estimating the effect of referral for nephrology care on the survival of adults with advanced chronic kidney disease in a real-world clinical setting


 IntroductionLongitudinal studies ascertain exposure, covariates, and outcomes over time. For estimating treatment effect on mortality, ignoring the time-varying nature of an exposure may lead to immortal time bias. Time-dependent confounding that affects future treatment may bias the estimated effects. Differences in baseline prognosis between treatment groups further complicate this issue.
 Objectives and ApproachWe applied sequential Cox modeling to estimate the causal effect of referral for nephrology care on the survival of adults with advanced chronic kidney disease, linking laboratory and administrative data from Alberta, Canada. We created pseudo-data by mimicking successive randomized controlled trials. To address immortal time bias, each “mini-trial” consisted of individuals starting treatment, and those not yet treated, in each 3-month time interval. We incorporated inverse-probability-of-treatment-weights (IPTW) to minimize treatment selection bias for each “mini-trial. ” We fit a “mini-trial”-stratified, weighted Cox model to estimate the overall hazard ratio for death by averaging the effect estimates across “mini-trials.”
 ResultsWe included 9,675 patients who entered the cohort between 2002 and 2013. The mean age was 82 years; 35% were male; and 33% were ultimately referred to a nephrologist after a median wait-period of 6 months. Compared to non-referred patients, those referred were younger and had fewer comorbidities at baseline. Referral was associated with a significant 45% lower hazard for death in an adjusted Cox model. The effect was attenuated in a multivariate Cox model with a time-varying exposure and in a sequential Cox model further controlling for potential time-dependent confounding by measures reflecting kidney-, cardiovascular-, and cerebrovascular-health. After incorporating IPTW for addressing treatment selection bias in the same sequential Cox model, the effect estimate was toward the null and no longer significant.
 Conclusion/ImplicationsWe found that applying analytical strategies that addressed immortal time bias, time-dependent confounding, and treatment selection bias, the survival benefit associated with nephrology referral was attenuated. Inverse-probability-of treatment weighted sequential Cox approach may be used to address these important biases and confounding that are common in real-world clinical settings.

MANEJO DE LA ALBUMINURIA. MOMENTO DE DERIVACIÓN AL NEFRÓLOGO

En los últimos años surgieron nuevas observaciones que permitieron entender que el curso clínico de la enfermedad renal por diabetes podría ser diferente a la descripción tradicional. Uno de los primeros conceptos actuales es la recomendación de reemplazar el término de micro y macroalbuminuria por el de albuminuria, la cual se califica según su severidad en estadios A1, A2 y A3. La detección de la albuminuria como único marcador de enfermedad renal parece no ser suficiente para el diagnóstico temprano; es necesario además el monitoreo de la función renal usando ecuaciones de estimación del filtrado glomerular (FG). El control estricto de la glucemia, la presión arterial (PA) y el uso de IECA o ARA II continúan siendo el tratamiento fundamental de la albuminuria. Para el control glucémico podría ser conveniente tener en cuenta los beneficios adicionales de los medicamentos antidiabéticos. La derivación al especialista en Nefrología debería plantearse de acuerdo al estadio de albuminuria y deterioro del FG.

Racial Disparities in Nephrology Consultation and Disease Progression among Veterans with CKD: An Observational Cohort Study

Incident rates of ESRD are much higher among black and Hispanic patients than white patients. Access to nephrology care before progression to ESRD is associated with better clinical outcomes among patients with CKD. However, it is unknown whether black or Hispanic patients with CKD experience lower pre-ESRD nephrology consultation rates compared with their white counterparts, or whether such a disparity contributes to worse outcomes among minorities. We assembled a retrospective cohort of patients with CKD who received care through the Veterans Health Administration from 2003 to 2015, focusing on individuals with incident CKD stage 4 who had an initial eGFR≥60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 followed by two consecutive eGFRs<30 ml/min per 1.73 m2. We repeated analyses among individuals with incident CKD stage 3. Outcomes included nephrology provider referral, nephrology provider visit, progression to CKD stage 5, and mortality. We identified 56,767 veterans with CKD stage 4 and 640,704 with CKD stage 3. In both cohorts, rates of nephrology referral and visits were significantly higher among black and Hispanic veterans than among non-Hispanic white veterans. Despite this, both black and Hispanic patients experienced faster progression to CKD stage 5 compared with white patients. Black patients with CKD stage 4 experienced slightly lower mortality than white patients, whereas black patients with CKD stage 3 had a small increased risk of death. Black or Hispanic veterans with CKD are more likely than white patients to see a nephrologist, yet are also more likely to suffer disease progression. Biologic and environmental factors may play a bigger role than nephrology consultation in driving racial disparities in CKD progression.

Recent Advances in the Management of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), the most common monogenic cause of ESKD, is characterized by relentless development of kidney cysts, hypertension, and destruction of the kidney parenchyma. Over the past few years, major advancements in diagnosing, prognosticating, and understanding the pathogenesis and natural course of the disease have been made. Currently, no kidney disease is more suitable for nephron-protective strategies. Early nephrology referral and implementation of these strategies may have a substantial effect. Total kidney volume is a good prognostication marker and allows stratification of patients into slow or rapid progressing disease, with implications for their management. Measurement of total kidney volume, disease stratification, and prognostication are possible using readily available tools. Although some patients require only monitoring and basic optimized kidney protective measures, such as rigorous BP control and various lifestyle and dietary changes, others will benefit from disease-modifying treatments. Vasopressin V2 receptor antagonists, a likely disease-modifying treatment, has been approved in several countries and recently by the US Food and Drug Administration; other therapies, such as somatostatin analogs and other novel agents, are currently in clinical trials. The purpose of this article is to present our views on the optimal management to delay kidney disease progression in ADPKD.

Renal function at the time of nephrology referral but not dialysis initiation as a risk for death in patients with diabetes mellitus.

ABSTRACTBackgroundRenal patients with diabetes mellitus are at very high risk of death before and after chronic dialysis initiation. Risk factors for death in this population are not clearly identified.MethodsWe performed a retrospective survival analysis in 861 patients with diabetes mellitus consecutively followed up in the 2000–13 period in a nephrology setting.ResultsThe mean age was 70 ± 10 years [men 65.2%; diabetes duration 13.7 ± 10.3 years; mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 42.4 ± 21.0 mL/min/1.73 m2). During follow-up (median 60 months; up 15 years), 263 patients died (184 before and 79 after dialysis initiation) and 183 started chronic dialysis. In multivariate analyses, age, elevated systolic and low diastolic arterial pressures, peripheral artery disease, cancer, loop diuretic use and atrial fibrillation at baseline and acute kidney injury (AKI), heart failure (HF) and amputation during follow-up were identified as risk factors for death. After adjustments on these parameters, eGFRs at the time of the first outpatient visit—eGFR <45 mL/min/1.73 m2 {hazard ratio [HR] 1.58 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15–2.17]}, P = 0.005 and eGFR <30 [HR 1.53 (1.05–2.05)], P = 0.004, but not eGFR <60—were powerful risk factors for death. When initiation of dialysis was entered into the multivariate models, it was not associated with a risk of premature death [HR 1.19 (95% CI 0.91–1.55), P = 0.2069], even in patients >80 years of age [HR 1.08 (95% CI 0.64–1.81), P = 0.7793].ConclusionsIn patients with diabetes mellitus, high systolic and low diastolic arterial pressure, peripheral artery disease and development of AKI and HF are significant risk factors for death. In addition to these parameters, eGFR <45 mL/min/1.73 m2 at the time of referral is also a powerful risk factor for death.

Nephrological diagnostics with the general practitioner's toolbox

Nephrological diagnostics with the general practitioner's toolbox Abstract. Kidney diseases are often asymptomatic or present nonspecifically and are frequently diagnosed by chance as part of a laboratory check up. In newly diagnosed renal failure, the physician should determine the dynamics (acute versus chronic) and identify the cause of the renal dysfunction based on history and additional tests. This is crucial to identify treatable kidney diseases and to provide patients with the adequate therapy. The identification of the underlying disease and determination of its severity are necessary to estimate the renal and cardiovascular prognosis. Finally, the degree of renal insufficiency is important for dose adjustment of renally eliminated drugs and assessment of possible complications of renal failure. Most general practitioners have the necessary diagnostic tools at their disposal to carry out the above assessments and decide when a specialist nephrological referral is advisable. To diagnose and stage renal failure, serum creatinine must be measured and the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimated. The second pillar is the examination of urine (proteinuria, albuminuria, urine sediment). Depending on the findings, further laboratory tests may be useful. Renal ultrasound is the primary imaging method in patients with acute and chronic renal failure. In this article, the above mentioned methods are described in more detail and their potential pitfalls are discussed.

Attitudes and practices of Chinese physicians regarding chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury management: a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey in secondary and tertiary hospitals

ObjectiveThis questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey reported the attitudes and practices of Chinese doctors regarding chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) management.MethodsAn online questionnaire consisting of general information, awareness of CKD and AKI, education status, renal laboratory items, and clinical practices between February 20, 2017 and August 15, 2017.ResultsAmong the 1289 respondents from secondary and tertiary hospitals in 30 provinces, 718 (55.7%) were nephrologists, 94.3% had the ability to evaluate glomerular filtration rates, and 98.8% could evaluate urinary protein excretion, indicating that Chinese doctors met the minimum requirements to manage CKD. However, nearly half of all respondents reported that easy methods for spot urine creatinine-adjusted urinary protein assessments were unavailable. Awareness of the CKD risk stratification system and AKI definition was inadequate, and only 54.2% of respondents reported that they had received nutritional education for renal diseases. Although most of the respondents were nephrologists at university hospitals, 66.4% and 76.3% of respondents reported nephrology referrals and nephrology consultations, respectively, after AKI, suggesting an insufficient role for nephrologists. Finally, management models differed significantly, indicating that universal guidelines for CKD and AKI management are required across China.ConclusionsSeveral considerable challenges remain regarding CKD and AKI management in China, including inadequate knowledge and training systems, an absence of clinical protocols, and insufficient multidisciplinary cooperation.

Association between Duration of Predialysis Care and Mortality after Dialysis Start.

Early nephrology referral is recommended for people with CKD on the basis of observational studies showing that longer nephrology care before dialysis start (predialysis care) is associated with lower mortality after dialysis start. This association may be observed because predialysis care truly reduces mortality or because healthier people with an uncomplicated course of disease will have both longer predialysis care and lower risk for death. We examined whether the survival benefit of longer predialysis care exists after accounting for the potential confounding effect of disease course that may also be affected by predialysis care. We performed a retrospective cohort study and used data from 3152 adults with end stage kidney failure starting dialysis between 2004 and 2014 in five Canadian dialysis programs. We obtained duration of predialysis care from the earliest nephrology outpatient visit to dialysis start; markers of disease course, including inpatient or outpatient dialysis start and residual kidney function around dialysis start; and all-cause mortality after dialysis start. The percentages of participants with 0, 1-119, 120-364, and ≥365 days of predialysis care were 23%, 8%, 10%, and 59%, respectively. When we ignored markers of disease course as in previous studies, longer predialysis care was associated with lower mortality (hazard ratio120-364 versus 0-119 days, 0.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.46 to 0.78]; hazard ratio≥365 versus 0-119 days, 0.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.51 to 0.71; standard Cox model adjusted for demographics and laboratory and clinical characteristics). When we additionally accounted for markers of disease course using the inverse probability of treatment weighted Cox model, this association was weaker and no longer significant (hazard ratio120-364 versus 0-119 days, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.60 to 1.18; hazard ratio≥365 versus 0-119 days, 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.69 to 1.13). The association between longer predialysis care and lower mortality after dialysis start is weaker and imprecise after accounting for patients' course of disease.

The importance of adequate referrals for chronic kidney disease

Regional Australia remains a district of workforce shortage for nephrology. Thus, it is imperative that patients who have the greatest need for nephrologist services are effectively identified upon referral. The aim of this study was to assess referrals to a regional nephrology service against Australian guidelines by assessing the patient’s renal function and the information contained in the referral document at the time of first consultation. We conducted a retrospective study of all referrals to a regional Australian nephrology service between 2013 and 2015. The 582 referrals that met the inclusion criteria were compared with Australian nephrology referral guidelines. Less than half of the referral documents (n = 253; 43.5%) described a clinical situation that met referral guidelines, typically due to insufficient pathology investigation. However, after consideration of renal functional test results performed at the initial consultation, an additional 82 cases met referral guidelines (n = 335; 57.6%). More than 40% of nephrology referrals to a regional Australian service did not meet Australian nephrology referral guidelines. This has implications for a regional nephrology service that is experiencing workforce pressures, in addition to the health system more broadly, and for patients. Many referrals contained insufficient information to allow differentiation of patients who would benefit most from nephrology care from patients who could be appropriately managed within primary care.

Nephrology eConsults for Primary Care Providers: Original Investigation.

Background:The Champlain BASE™ (Building Access to Specialists through eConsultation) eConsult service allows primary care providers (PCPs) to submit patient-specific clinical questions to specialists via a secure web service.Objective:Our objective was to describe the types of nephrology questions asked through an eConsult service based in eastern Ontario and assess the service’s impact on the need for face-to-face consultations.Design:Cross-sectional study using descriptive statistics was conducted using nephrology cases submitted between May 2011 and January 2015. Specialist response times and referral avoidance were collected. Validated taxonomies were used to categorize cases based on question type and content.Setting:Patient cases were collected from PCPs in Ottawa, Ontario, and its surrounding communities and submitted to nephrologists at the Ottawa Hospital.Patients:During the study period, 155 eConsults were submitted to nephrology.Measurement:Utilization and survey data were collected for all eConsults. Questions were categorized by subject matter and question type.Results:A traditional consult visit was avoided in 45% of cases based on the specialist’s advice; 21% cases required referral. Thirty-two percent of eConsults took specialists less than 10 minutes to complete, 55% took 10 to 15 minutes, 11% took 15 to 20 minutes, and only 2% took more than 20 minutes. Twenty-five percent of cases were related to proteinuria, 18% to chronic kidney disease (CKD), 17% to imaging, and 12% to drug use in CKD. Common question types included general management (37%), interpretation of laboratory test (17%), interpretation of an image report (13%), and need for nephrology referral (11%).Limitations:Some consults contained multiple categories and question types. Our analyses required a single classification, which may underestimate the number of questions in each category. Our study had a small sample size using cases completed in a single health jurisdiction, limiting generalizability.Conclusions:The Champlain BASE™ eConsult service provided guidance to PCPs and reduced the number of face-to-face nephrology consultations.

Epidemiology and Outcomes of Acute Kidney Injury in Critically Ill: Experience from a Tertiary Care Center.

There is only limited information on the epidemiology and outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill patients from low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to identify the etiology, short-term outcomes, and determinants of mortality in patients with AKI admitted to multiple medical and surgical Intensive Care Units (ICU's) in a tertiary care center. The study also aims to compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes of community-acquired AKI (CAAKI) and hospital-acquired AKI (HAAKI). A prospective, observational study was done from June 2013 to October 2015. All patients over 18 years with AKI admitted in various medical and surgical ICU's seeking nephrology referral were included. AKI was defined according to KDIGO criteria. The follow-up period was 30 days. A total of 236 patients were recruited from five medical and nine surgical ICU's. Majority (73.3%) were males. About 53.38% patients had CAAKI, whereas 46.61% had HAAKI. The predominant etiologies for AKI were sepsis (22.4%), trauma due to road traffic accidents (21.18%), acute abdomen (perforation, acute pancreatitis, bowel gangrene, intestinal obstruction and cholangitis) (18.64%), and cardiac diseases (10.59%). Sepsis and acute abdomen were the most common causes of CAAKI, whereas trauma and cardiac causes were the predominant causes of HAAKI (P < 0.05). Patients with HAAKI were younger, admitted in surgical units, had lower SOFA scores, lower serum creatinine, lesser need for dialysis, longer hospital stay, and earlier stages of AKI compared to patients with CAAKI (P < 0.05). The 30-day mortality was 52.54%. The mortality was not different between CAAKI and HAAKI (56.3% vs. 48.18%; relative risk = 0.86: 95% confidence interval 0.67–1.1). The mortality was similar across different stages of AKI.

Keeping care connected: e-Consultation program improves access to nephrology care

Introduction Health systems are seeking innovative solutions to improve specialty care access. Electronic consultations (eConsults) allow specialists to provide formal clinical recommendations to primary care providers (PCPs) based on patient chart review, without a face-to-face visit. Methods We implemented a nephrology eConsult pilot program within a large, academic primary care practice to facilitate timely communication between nephrologists and PCPs. We used primary care referral data to compare wait times and completion rates between traditional referrals and eConsults. We surveyed PCPs to assess satisfaction with the program. Results For traditional nephrology referrals placed during the study period (July 2016–March 2017), there was a 51-day median appointment wait time and a 40.9% referral completion rate. For eConsults, there was a median nephrologist response time of one day and a 100% completion rate; 67.5% of eConsults did not require a subsequent face-to-face specialty appointment. For eConsults that were converted to an in-person visit, the median wait time and completion rate were 40 days and 73.1%, respectively. Compared to traditional referrals placed during the study period, eConsults converted to in-person visits were more likely to be completed (p = 0.001). Survey responses revealed that PCPs were highly satisfied with the program and consider the quick turnaround time as the greatest benefit. Discussion Our eConsult pilot program reduced nephrology wait times and significantly increased referral completion rates. In large integrated health systems, eConsults have considerable potential to improve access to specialty care, reduce unnecessary appointments, and optimize the patient population being seen by specialists.

Automated estimated GFR reporting in children using a height independent formula

Background and aims Reporting estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is established adult practice. The eGFR formula in children commonly require height which is not routinely available. We report optimisation and validation of a height-independent eGFR formula, biochemistry reporting of this formula and the impact of reporting eGFR on nephrology referrals. Methods A total of 117 paediatric patients (60 male, mean age 10.5 years) who underwent a nuclear medicine GFR (mGFR) from April 2013 until October 2014 in Nottingham Children's Hospital (NCH) were identified. The eGFR was calculated using published formula. The Solver function of Excel to minimise the sum of the squares of the differences between the eGFR and mGFR was used to locally optimise the formula ( Table 1 ). Validation consisted of 90 paediatric patients (55 male, mean age 7.7 years) who underwent a mGFR in Sheffield Children's Hospital (SCH) between January 2012 and September 2015. The NCH biochemistry reporting system was programmed to report eGFR. Manually calculated eGFR in 20 patients (13 male, median age 9.6 years) were compared to the reported eGFR. We collected data on referrals before and after the introduction of eGFR reporting on 10th March 2016. Results The accuracy of each formula was assessed and compared to two commonly used adult formula ( Table 2 ). The biochemistry reporting system was accurate ( Fig. 1 ). Following introduction of the automated report, there was an increase in telephone referrals and requests for renal ultrasound. One patient was identified with renal scarring. Conclusions Automated reporting of eGFR is feasible in children. We are reporting eGFR in all hospitalised children age 2 to 16 years of age whenever a serum creatinine is checked. This has not previously been described in paediatrics. This has been shown to lead to earlier identification of patients with CKD in adult services and should now become a standard of care in paediatric services.

Predialysis hyponatremia and mortality in elderly patients beginning to undergo hemodialysis.

Background/AimsPredialysis hyponatremia has been recently reported to be associated with mortality in incident hemodialysis patients. However, whether hyponatremia is associated with unfavorable outcomes in elderly patients remains unknown. We hypothesized that nephrology referral inf luences hyponatremia, and aimed to define how nephrology referral affects the association between hyponatremia and mortality in the elderly.MethodsWe retrospectively assessed mortality in 599 incident hemodialysis patients aged ≥ 70 at a tertiary university hospital, between 2000 and 2010. We analyzed 90-day and 1-year all-cause mortality (ACM) in relation to predialysis serum sodium (sNa). We divided the patients into two groups according to predialysis glucose-corrected sNa: hyponatremia (< 135 mmol/L) and normonatremia (135 to 145 mmol/L).ResultsLow estimated glomerular filtration rate, high phosphorus, low albumin, nonpreparation of arteriovenous fistula or graft, and late referral were associated with a low sNa in the elderly. Among 599 patients, 106 and 174 patients died at the 90-day and 1-year follow-ups, respectively. Each 10-mmol/L increase in predialysis sNa tended to be associated with lower 90-day and 1-year ACM. When patients were stratified by nephrology referral, hyponatremia was associated with increased mortality in early referral group (90-day ACM: hazard ratio [HR] = 2.335, p = 0.041; 1-year ACM: HR = 1.790, p = 0.024). However, hyponatremia was not associated with mortality in late referral group.ConclusionsPredialysis hyponatremia at hemodialysis initiation is associated with late referra

142 TIMING OF NEPHROLOGY REFERRAL AND OUTCOME IN ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY PATIENTS RECEIVING CONTINUOUS RENAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY

Category: Epidemiology and Outcomes from AKI Presenter: Dr ASIAH USAMAH Keywords: Acute kidney injury, continuous renal replacement therapy, timing of referral Timing of nephrology referral in critically ill acute kidney injury patients is a subject of debate. Some studies have found that late nephrology referral is associated with poor prognosis. No consensus exists on the best timing of nephrology consult and initiation of CRRT. To determine the factors and outcome in relation to timing of nephrology referral in acute kidney injury (AKI) patients receiving continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). This is a retrospective study involving all AKI patients aged more than 18 years old receiving CRRT in ICU, HKL from October 2016 till April 2017. A total of 107 patients were screened and 68 patients were included in the study. Patients were divided into 2 categories based on timing of referral from onset of AKI. Early referral is defined as referral less than 48 hours while late referral is more than 48 hours. AKI is defined as per KDIGO guideline. Data were collected from ICU local database and analysed using SPSS version 20. Categorical and demographic data were expressed as frequency (n) and percentage (%), whilst continuous variables was expressed as mean and standard deviation (SD). Sixty eight patients, comprising 51 early referral and 17 late referral were analysed. Patients who were referred late had higher mortality (n=15, 88.2%) compared to early referral group (n=35, 15.7%, p=0.22). Patients who were in the late referral group also had longer length of stay, 12days (3.5-22) compared to patients in early referral group, 4 days (2-10), p=0.049. There were no significant difference in blood urea, serum creatinine, serum lactate, bicarbonate, serum potassium and urine output volume at referrals in both groups. Late referral group had higher mortality, albeit statistically not significant most likely due to small sample size. This study did not include disease severity as a confounding factor for mortality.

Evaluating the feasibility of the KDIGO CKD referral recommendations

BackgroundIn 2012, the international nephrology organization Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) released recommendations for nephrology referral for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. The feasibility of adhering to these recommendations is unknown.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of the primary care population at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). We translated referral recommendations based upon serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and albuminuria into a set of computable criteria in order to project referral volume if the KDIGO referral recommendations were to be implemented. Using electronic health record data, we evaluated each patient using the computable criteria at the times that the patient made clinic visits in 2013. We then compared the projected referral volume with baseline nephrology clinic volume.ResultsOut of 56,461 primary care patients at BWH, we identified 5593 (9.9%) who had CKD based on albuminuria or estimated GFR. Referring patients identified by the computable criteria would have resulted in 2240 additional referrals to nephrology. In 2013, this would represent a 38.0% (2240/5892) increase in total nephrology patient volume and 67.3% (2240/3326) increase in new referral volume.ConclusionsThis is the first study to examine the projected impact of implementing the 2012 KDIGO referral recommendations. Given the large increase in the number of referrals, this study is suggestive that implementing the KDIGO referral guidelines may not be feasible under current practice models due to a supply-demand mismatch. We need to consider new strategies on how to deliver optimal care to CKD patients using the available workforce in the U.S. health care system.

Barriers to Achieving Economies of Scale in Analysis of EHR Data

Signed in 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act infused $28 billion of federal funds to accelerate adoption of electronic health records (EHRs). Yet, EHRs have produced mixed results and have even raised concern that the current technology ecosystem stifles innovation. We describe the development process and report initial outcomes of a chronic kidney disease analytics application that identifies high-risk patients for nephrology referral. The cost to validate and integrate the analytics application into clinical workflow was $217,138. Despite the success of the program, redundant development and validation efforts will require $38.8 million to scale the application across all multihospital systems in the nation. We address the shortcomings of current technology investments and distill insights from the technology industry. To yield a return on technology investments, we propose policy changes that address the underlying issues now being imposed on the system by an ineffective technology business model.

Early Mortality Associated with Inpatient versus Outpatient Hemodialysis Initiation in a Large Cohort of US Veterans with Incident End-Stage Renal Disease

Background: Mortality in the immediate post-hemodialysis transition period is extremely high. Many end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients in the US start dialysis in an inpatient setting, but the characteristics of patients starting dialysis as inpatients, and the association of inpatient hemodialysis transition with mortality remain unclear. Methods: We examined 48,261 US veterans who transitioned to hemodialysis between October 2007 and September 2011. Associations of inpatient hemodialysis starting with all-cause mortality were examined in Cox proportional hazard models, with adjustments for demographics, comorbidities, vascular access type, pre-dialysis nephrology care and medication use, and last pre-ESRD estimated glomerular filtration rate and hemoglobin. Results: A total of 22,338 (46.3%) patients received the first hemodialysis treatment in an inpatient setting. Inpatient hemodialysis transition was associated with older age, presence of a tunneled catheter, higher comorbidity burden, and lack of pre-dialysis nephrology care. A total of 8,674 patients died (mortality rate 405/1,000 patient-years, 95% CI 397-413) during the first 6 months after transition to hemodialysis. The starting of inpatient vs. outpatient hemodialysis was associated with significantly higher crude all-cause mortality, but this association was attenuated after multivariable adjustments. Conclusions: Transition to hemodialysis in an inpatient setting is more common in older and sicker individuals, and in patients without pre-dialysis nephrology care and those who used a catheter for vascular access. Future studies are needed to determine if a higher proportion of patients could start hemodialysis treatment in outpatient clinics, through interventions targeting modifiable risk factors such as timely vascular access placement or earlier nephrology referrals.

Primary Care Physicians’ Perceived Barriers to Nephrology Referral and Co-Management of Patients with CKD: A Qualitative Study

Primary Care Physicians’ Perceived Barriers to Nephrology Referral and Co-Management of Patients with CKD: A Qualitative Study

An end-of-life practice survey among clinical nephrologists associated with a single nephrology fellowship training program.

BackgroundOur nephrology fellowship requires specific training in recognition and referral of end-stage renal disease patients likely to benefit from palliative and hospice care.MethodsTo identify end-of-life (EOL) referral barriers that require greater training emphasis, we performed a cross-sectional, 17-item anonymous online survey (August–October 2015) of 93 nephrologists associated with the program since 1987.ResultsThere was a 61% response rate (57/93 surveys). Ninety-five percent practiced clinical nephrology (54/57). Of these, 51 completed the survey (55% completion rate), and their responses were analyzed. Sixty-four percent were in practice >10 years; 65% resided in the Southern USA. Ninety-two percent felt comfortable discussing EOL care, with no significant difference between those with ≤10 versus >10 years of practice experience (P = 0.28). Thirty-one percent reported referring patients to EOL care ‘somewhat’ or ‘much less often’ than indicated. The most frequent referral barriers were: time-consuming nature of EOL discussions (27%); difficulty in accurately determining prognosis for <6-month survival (35%); patient (63%) and family (71%) unwillingness; and patient (69%) and family (73%) misconceptions. Fifty-seven percent would refer more patients if dialysis or ultrafiltration could be performed in hospice. Some reported that local palliative care resources (12%) and hospice resources (6%) were insufficient.ConclusionsThe clinical nephrologists surveyed were comfortable with EOL care discussion and referral. Patient, family, prognostic and system barriers exist, and many reported lower than indicated referral rates. Additional efforts, including, but not limited to, EOL training during fellowship, are needed to overcome familial and structural barriers to facilitate nephrologist referral for EOL care.