Hemodialysis Patient Outcomes Linked to Nephrologist Caseloads

Nephrologist caseload influences hemodialysis (HD) patient outcomes, researchers concluded.

In a study of 41 nephrologists with caseloads ranging from 50-200 HD patients in an urban California region, Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh, MD, MPH, PhD, of the University of California Irvine, and colleagues found that nephrologists with the lowest patient mortality rates had significantly lower patient caseloads, according to a report published online ahead of print in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 

In adjusted analyses, each 50-patient increase in caseload was associated with a 2% increase in patient mortality risk.

In addition, patients treated by nephrologists with the lowest patient mortality rates received higher dialysis doses, had longer sessions, and received more kidney transplants.

From the September 01, 2013 Issue of Renal and Urology News