Service Utilization Patterns and Direct Medical Costs of Hospitalization in Patients With Renal Failure Before and After Initiating Home Peritoneal Dialysis.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the hospital service utilization patterns and direct healthcare hospital costs before and during peritoneal dialysis (PD) at home. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of patients with kidney failure (KF) was conducted at a Mexican Social Security Institute hospital for the year 2014. Cost categories included inpatient emergency room stays, inpatient services at internal medicine or surgery, and hospital PD. The study groups were (1) patients with KF before initiating home PD, (2) patients with less than 1 year of home PD (incident), and (3) patients with more than 1 year of home PD (prevalent). Costs were actualized to international dollars (Int$) 2023. RESULTS: We found that 53% of patients with KF used home PD services, 42% had not received any type of PD, and 5% had hospital dialysis while waiting for home PD. The estimated costs adjusting for age and sex were Int$5339 (95% CI 4680-9746) for patients without home PD, Int$17 556 (95% CI 15 314-19 789) for incident patients, and Int$7872 (95% CI 5994-9749) for prevalent patients; with significantly different averages for the 3 groups (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Although the use of services and cost is highest at the time of initiating PD, over time, using home PD leads to a significant reduction in use of hospital services, which translates into institutional cost savings. Our findings, especially considering the high rates of KF in Mexico, suggest a pressing need for interventions that can reduce healthcare costs at the beginning of renal replacement therapy.

Low incidence of SARS-CoV-2, risk factors of mortality and the course of illness in the French national cohort of dialysis patients.

The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of COVID-19 disease in the French national population of dialysis patients, their course of illness and to identify the risk factors associated with mortality. Our study included all patients on dialysis recorded in the French REIN Registry in April 2020. Clinical characteristics at last follow-up and the evolution of COVID-19 illness severity over time were recorded for diagnosed cases (either suspicious clinical symptoms, characteristic signs on the chest scan or a positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) for SARS-CoV-2. A total of 1,621 infected patients were reported on the REIN registry from March 16th, 2020 to May 4th, 2020. Of these, 344 died. The prevalence of COVID-19 patients varied from less than 1% to 10% between regions. The probability of being a case was higher in males, patients with diabetes, those in need of assistance for transfer or treated at a self-care unit. Dialysis at home was associated with a lower probability of being infected as was being a smoker, a former smoker, having an active malignancy, or peripheral vascular disease. Mortality in diagnosed cases (21%) was associated with the same causes as in the general population. Higher age, hypoalbuminemia and the presence of an ischemic heart disease were statistically independently associated with a higher risk of death. Being treated at a selfcare unit was associated with a lower risk. Thus, our study showed a relatively low frequency of COVID-19 among dialysis patients contrary to what might have been assumed.

Improved long-term survival with home hemodialysis compared with institutional hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis: a matched cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The survival rate for dialysis patients is poor. Previous studies have shown improved survival with home hemodialysis (HHD), but this could be due to patient selection, since HHD patients tend to be younger and healthier. The aim of the present study is to analyse the long-term effects of HHD on patient survival and on subsequent renal transplantation, compared with institutional hemodialysis (IHD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD), taking age and comorbidity into account. METHODS: Patients starting HHD as initial renal replacement therapy (RRT) were matched with patients on IHD or PD, according to gender, age, Charlson Comorbidity Index and start date of RRT, using the Swedish Renal Registry from 1991 to 2012. Survival analyses were performed as intention-to-treat (disregarding changes in RRT) and per-protocol (as on initial RRT). RESULTS: A total of 152 patients with HHD as initial RRT were matched with 608 IHD and 456 PD patients, respectively. Median survival was longer for HHD in intention-to-treat analyses: 18.5 years compared with 11.9 for IHD (p <  0.001) and 15.0 for PD (p = 0.002). The difference remained significant in per-protocol analyses omitting the contribution of subsequent transplantation. Patients on HHD were more likely to receive a renal transplant compared with IHD and PD, although treatment modality did not affect subsequent graft survival (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: HHD as initial RRT showed improved long-term patient survival compared with IHD and PD. This survival advantage persisted after matching and adjusting for a higher transplantation rate. Dialysis modality had no impact on subsequent graft survival.

The financial impact of increasing home-based high dose haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that high dose haemodialysis (HD) may be associated with better health outcomes and even cost savings (if conducted at home) versus conventional in-centre HD (ICHD). Home-based regimens such as peritoneal dialysis (PD) are also associated with significant cost reductions and are more convenient for patients. However, the financial impact of increasing the use of high dose HD at home with an increased tariff is uncertain. A budget impact analysis was performed to investigate the financial impact of increasing the proportion of patients receiving home-based dialysis modalities from the perspective of the England National Health Service (NHS) payer. METHODS: A Markov model was constructed to investigate the 5 year budget impact of increasing the proportion of dialysis patients receiving home-based dialysis, including both high dose HD at home and PD, under the current reimbursement tariff and a hypothetically increased tariff for home HD (£575/week). Five scenarios were compared with the current England dialysis modality distribution (prevalent patients, 14.1% PD, 82.0% ICHD, 3.9% conventional home HD; incident patients, 22.9% PD, 77.1% ICHD) with all increases coming from the ICHD population. RESULTS: Under the current tariff of £456/week, increasing the proportion of dialysis patients receiving high dose HD at home resulted in a saving of £19.6 million. Conducting high dose HD at home under a hypothetical tariff of £575/week was associated with a budget increase (£19.9 million). The costs of high dose HD at home were totally offset by increasing the usage of PD to 20-25%, generating savings of £40.0 million - £94.5 million over 5 years under the increased tariff. Conversely, having all patients treated in-centre resulted in a £172.6 million increase in dialysis costs over 5 years. CONCLUSION: This analysis shows that performing high dose HD at home could allow the UK healthcare system to capture the clinical and humanistic benefits associated with this therapy while limiting the impact on the dialysis budget. Increasing the usage of PD to 20-25%, the levels observed in 2005-2008, will totally offset the additional costs and generate further savings.

Why is high-tech healthcare at home purchasing underdeveloped and what could be done to improve it?

Executive Letter (95)5 initiated a change of health policy preventing general practitioners (GPs) from prescribing packages of "high-tech healthcare at home" (HTHC). From 1 April 1995, district health authorities were required to establish contracts to purchase such care. Several reasons were behind this policy change including the belief that contracting would improve service quality by encouraging competition between potential suppliers, securing better value for money, and establishing service specifications and monitoring mechanisms. Our survey of 98 health authorities, however, highlighted that contracting for home total parenteral nutrition, intravenous antibiotics for patients with cystic fibrosis, intravenous chemotherapy and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis is largely undeveloped. The majority of districts contracted with historic providers and authorities freely admitted that they did not know whether they were obtaining value for money or a service of adequate quality. Only three districts had developed a strategy for purchasing HTHC as required by the Executive Letter, and only 17 had plans to re-examine their approach. Contracting for HTHC presents practical problems, including the complexity of the process and the significant time demands for efficient and effective contracting. Phase two of this research sought to produce a "guide to good practice" for health authorities wishing to re-examine and improve their purchasing. We conducted case study analyses in districts that had made effective progress and those that had encountered difficulties, drawing upon lessons learned. We reported our findings to the NHS Executive and supplemented this with a "toolbox" that included sample documents covering areas such as tendering, monitoring mechanisms, service specifications and different purchasing approaches.

[Epidemiologic aspects of terminal chronic kidney failure and its therapeutic modalities]. / Aspects épidémiologiques de l'insuffisance rénale chronique terminale et de ses modalités thérapeutiques.

France occupies second position among industrial countries for the number of patients with chronic renal failure. The incidence of chronic renal failure is 61 per million of inhabitants, and increases by 10 to 20% each year. One third of patients with CRF are renal transplant recipients, while 6% of the remaining patients are treated by chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, 6% by domiciliary haemodialysis and 57% by haemodialysis in a dialysis centre or autodialysis. The mean age of management of patients with end-stage chronic renal failure is 59 years. The role of glomerulonephritis and chronic pyelonephritis appears to be decreasing, but the incidence of diabetic nephropathy has doubled over the last decade. The mean age of transplant recipients is 45 years. The number of transplantations has regularly decreased over several years due to the lack of organs. Chronic renal failure patients essentially die from cardiovascular causes, and the frequency of malignant disease responsible for death is estimated to be 10%.

Maintenance haemodialysis in Singapore.

The chronic haemodialysis programme of the Singapore General Hospital started in 1968 as a hospital-based fully nurse-assisted programme. This has since expanded to include Self Dialysis and Home Dialysis programmes. Data of 425 patients who entered the dialysis programmes was analysed retrospectively. The major cause of end stage renal failure was chronic glomerulonephritis (52%). Almost half of the patients in the haemodialysis programme were patients on self-dialysis (49%). There were 157 withdrawals and 116 deaths. Survival has improved tremendously with the use of treated water for dialysis from 1981. The 5 year survival in an earlier group of patients dialysed with untreated water was 48% compared with 81% in a late group dialysed with treated water (p less than 0.001). The pattern of complications has also changed with a lower incidence of dialysis osteomalacia, hypertension, hepatitis and eradication of dialysis dementia.

Using end-stage renal disease facility surveys to monitor end-stage renal disease program trends. The Data Committee of the National Forum of End-Stage Renal Disease Networks.

Since 1982, the Forum of End-Stage Renal Disease Networks has used data from the Medicare End-Stage Renal Disease Facility surveys to track regional and national end-stage renal disease (ESRD) program trends. This article reports trends for selected program parameters during the years 1980 through 1983. Trends include an average annual increase of 11.1% in the number of chronic dialysis patients; a 78% rise in the number of home dialysis patients; a relatively constant percentage (7.2% to 7.7%) of dialysis patients receiving a transplant annually; and relatively stable dialysis patient mortality (annual case fatality rate, 14.9% to 15.4%). The utility of such data for quality assurance as well as program evaluation and planning is noted. The article also indicates how improved tracking of transplant recipients and organ procurement activity would strengthen the End-Stage Renal Disease Facility Survey data base.

The dilemmas of patient treatment for end-stage renal disease.

In past years, physicians responsible for the treatment of chronic uremia have faced dilemmas that have been methodologic and economic while attempting to provide good patient care. These have been overcome, but in the course of time a larger one has developed. The current dilemma is one of high costs for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) management and the failure of current treatment programs to adequately rehabilitate the ESRD patient. In spite of widespread concern about this dilemma, few current data and even fewer projections exist about the eventual costs for their care. Existing data demonstrate several problems that are the basis of this dilemma: (1) the projections of incidence and prevalence of ESRD patients have been too low; (2) renal transplantation has failed to develop into a dominant (and least costly) form of ESRD therapy; (3) home dialysis programs have failed to offset the rapidly expanding in-center dialysis population; and (4) prevalence of and costs for chronic hemodialysis have increased far beyond expected levels. Using current data for the US population as to the incidence and overall mortality rate of ESRD patients, it is apparent that the dialysis population is only 39% of the way toward a steady state-corresponding to only the 4th year of a calculated 25-year growth curve. Although the current costs for maintenance of ESRD patients exceeds $1.3 billion, based upon such projections with the current distribution of patient treatment modalities, the overall annual cost will be in excess of $3.3 billion before a steady state is achieved. Improvement in mortality rates or increases in the incidence of patients will increase the steady state prevalence and the overall costs. Renal transplantation, unless kidney survival rate is increased so that it approximates patient survival, is unlikely to offset the rapidly increasing costs. New technology that would reduce the costs for center-based chronic hemodialysis has not been identified. Emphasis upon home dialysis modalities as a method of increasing patient rehabilitation and reducing costs appears to be a short-term necessity. Increased research and development in prevention of ESRD and in achieving better transplant kidney survival appear to be extremely important as long-term goals.