Are bigger hemodialysis caseloads associated with worse outcomes?

Numerous studies have found that greater physician caseloads are associated with better patient outcomes, especially among surgeons. The conjecture has been that by treating more patients, physicians gain greater experience and skill. 

A recent study by Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh, MD, MPH, PhD, of the University of California Irvine, and colleagues found that nephrologists with larger hemodialysis caseloads had higher mortality rates. 

One reason, they said, is that this population “may require a substantial amount of individualized management and communication with multidisciplinary team members that may be more difficult to achieve among high-caseload nephrologists.” 

Renal & Urology News would like to know what nephrologists think about these findings, so please answer the following online poll question.