The Impact of Seasonality in Home Dialysis Initiation and Hospitalization Rates

Analysis of data from 548,530 U.S. adults with fee-for-service Medicare who started home dialysis between 2007 and 2020 examined whether initiating dialysis in particular seasons affected hospitalizations. Dialysis initiation in the winter was more likely to be inpatient, had lower odds of receiving home dialysis within 12 months, and home dialysis use rates that remained low afterward. Inpatient dialysis initiation explained 40% of the association between season and home dialysis use, 77% of the 12-month figure, and 55% of the association between season and overall home dialysis use.

Read the abstract » | (added 06-17-2026)