Use of CMS-reimbursed CKD Education Doubles the Likelihood of Home Dialysis

While Medicare has paid for stage 4 CKD kidney disease education (KDE) since 2010, only a tiny fraction have used it—but KDE matters, finds an analysis of 369,968 patients who started dialysis between 2010 and 2014. Just 3,469 (0.9%) had received at least one KDE session, but compared to controls matched for age, gender, ESRD Network and year of dialysis start, they were twice as likely to have started a home dialysis treatment. Concerningly, African American and Hispanic patients were significantly less likely to have received KDE services.

Read the abstract » | (added 12-10-2020)