Improving Outcomes for ESRD Patients: Shifting the Quality Paradigm - CJASN Express abstract. - November 7, 2013

Editor's note: While this is a forward step for nephrology, it is a continuation of its awful paternalism that has dominated dialysis care for decades. There is little here to increase patient engagement, empowerment, or partnership. The wisdom of patients is ignored.

While paying lip service to patients’ concerns and placing the patients atop its pyramid hierarchy, it continues to focus on what the corporate nephrologist considers to be most important for patients. It does not establish a balanced system of care where patients have an effective voice in shaping their system of care and driving the improvements that matter to them.

The targets are short-sighted.  They remain almost solely focused on medical outcomes using long-existing technology.  Instead of just HRQOL, why not also target thriving and employed patients? Those high-level goals are more likely to drive significant advances in technology and greater improvements in systems of care than any intermediate clinical goal.

Finally, another danger with this approach is that corporate medical directors will prioritize or only implement the intermediate clinical outcome programs that are most profitable or offer new business opportunities. Patients need a voice in this process.

Kidney Patients May Face Serious Side Effects From Weight-Loss Surgery - Article from HealthDay. - November 7, 2013

Adult Height in Patients with Advanced CKD Requiring Renal Replacement Therapy during Childhood - CJASN Express Abstract - November 7, 2013

Stress Management Tips for Patients - 2-page pdf from the Northwest Renal Network. - November 2013

Kansas Pharmacist Sentenced for Distributing Misbranded Drug for Kidney Dialysis Patients - November 4, 2013

Addition of Oral-Only ESRD Drugs to PPS: What Should I Do Now? - Presentation from the 2013 NRAA annual meeting via the Renal Services Exchange web site.

Report Lists Best Healthcare Apps for Consumers - (Registration required, but free.) Article from Medscape Medical News. - November 4, 2013

Patient Perspectives on Informed Decision-Making Surrounding Dialysis Initiation - Free, Full-Text Article from NDT - November 2013

Past Mortality Risk and Survival: Living Well and Growing Up - Free Full-Text Article from American Journal of Kidney Diseases - November 2013

The Quality Of Care Delivered To Patients in The Same Hospital Varies By Insurance Type - Abstract from Health Affairs.  - October 2013

Evaluation of a Computer Guided Curriculum Using Animation, Visual Images, and Voice Cues to Train Patients for Peritoneal Dialysis - PDI in Press Abstracts - October 31, 2013

Continuum of Patient Engagement - (1-page pdf) Graphic from the Northwest Renal Network's Learning and Action Network - October 2013

Editor's note: To keep such systems from becoming stagnant and irrelevant, improved patient life outcomes -- as defined by the patients -- must be system goals.

Forty years after the start of the federal dialysis program, there is no effective patient voice or message. Instead and in its place, today's systems get lost in nuanced surveys and biochemical markers.

New Multiple Action Intestinal Hormone Corrects Type 2 Diabetes - October 30, 2013

Medicare Head Tavenner Apologizes For Healthcare.gov Problems - October 29, 2013

Scientists Report Transplant Advance for Type 1 Diabetes - October 28, 2013

New Data Available in the DOPPS Annual Report - The 2012 Annual Report from the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study Program. - October 2013

Nonadherence in Dialysis Patients: Prevalence, Measurement, Outcome, and Psychological Determinants - Early View abstract from Seminars in Dialysis. - October 25, 2013

Complete Care Improves Patient Outcomes - Press release from Kaiser Permanente. - October 23, 2013

"Complete Care leverages Kaiser Permanente's technology, our integrated system, and our dedicated care teams to ensure that patients with complex chronic conditions receive the proactive support, coordinated care, and follow up they need to maintain optimal health."

Patient Pocket Guide: 6 Tips to Prevent Dialysis Infections - Download file from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. - October 17, 2013

Choosing Wisely (in Endocrinology) : 5 Practice Recommendations - News release from the Endocrine Society. - October 17, 2013

Should Fistula First Be the Vascular Access Strategy in Elderly Hemodialysis Patients? - Free, full-text article from Aging Health. - October 2013

NxStage® Launches New Home Hemodialysis Educational Resource - Press release.  - October 17, 2013

Brain May Flush out Toxins during Sleep - Press release from the National Institutes of Health. Article from the BBC. - October 17, 2013

Public Reporting, Consumerism, and Patient Empowerment - Free, full-text, Online First perspective piece from the New England Journal of Medicine. - October 16, 2013

Patient Pocket Guide: 6 Tips to Prevent Dialysis Infections - Download file from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. - October 2013