Nephrology Care: Bright Spots
Researchers from CERC conducted site visits at United States nephrology practices ranking near a commonly used by payers. They identified 12 care attributes common in highly ranked nephrology practices that fell into five themes: preventing near - term costly health crises, supporting patient self-care, maximizing effectiveness of office visits, selecting cost-effective diagnostic and treatment options, and developing infrastructure to support high-value care.
A panel of nephrologists identified practices that may be easiest to transfer to less-favorably ranked practices.Findings from this exploratory study may serve as a starting point for United States nephrologists who face increasingly value-sensitive payers and patients.
- Preservation of kidney function for patients with CKD is achieved through Nephrologist-guided frequent monitoring of kidney function, and early planning for vascular access for late-stage patients who prefer hemodialysis.
- Patient activation is supported through education and access to self-management approaches at each clinical visit.
- For unstable CKD patients, rapidly flexible office visit frequency allows better matching of care with clinical need.
Projects and Outcomes
Net Percent reduction in total annual American health care spending: 0.64%
Net annual savings $23 billion / Total annual American health care spending in 2018 $3.6 trillion
