{"title":"Patient-Reported Outcome and Experience Measures as Quality Metrics of Health Care Quality in Patients Receiving Dialysis","authors":"Michelle M. Richardson","doi":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.09.001","DOIUrl":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.09.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In dialysis, the inclusion of patient-reported outcomes is relatively new. However, the genesis of patient-reported outcomes as an essential component to measuring the quality of care began over 50 years ago. Although much progress has been made, there are still substantial efforts needed to reach true patient-centeredness in health care quality assessment. Patient-centeredness is an iterative, collaborative process of shared decision-making among stakeholders to identify, address, and resolve issues of importance to patients. This shift to putting patients at the forefront of decision-making requires consideration and implementation of ethical principles. Opportunities for patient participation in quality assessment are broad and representation is necessary to avoid exacerbating health inequities and to achieve varied viewpoints. Many resources exist for selecting instruments that assess patient-reported outcomes and barriers to implementation on all levels must be considered before selecting an instrument for quality assessment. Particular attention needs to be paid to the respondent burden from the patient's point of view. Thoughtful implementation of new initiatives that include patients as equal stakeholders could finally propel quality assessment in kidney disease to meet the vision proposed be Avedis Donabedian over 50 years ago.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72096,"journal":{"name":"Advances in kidney disease and health","volume":"32 5","pages":"Pages 426-436"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145712249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Quality Incentive Program and Patient-Centered Dialysis Care: Mastering the Numbers","authors":"Kathryn S. Taylor , Daniel E. Weiner","doi":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.05.002","DOIUrl":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.05.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In 2008, the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act required Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to create the End-Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program (QIP), CMS's first value-based program. Since its implementation in 2012, the QIP has tied a small percentage of Medicare reimbursement to the quality of care within dialysis facilities, ascertained using quality metrics. The scope of the QIP has shifted in the last decade from counterbalancing financial incentives for underutilization in a capitated payment system toward aligning dialysis organizations in the pursuit of CMS's broader health-related goals and objectives. In this review, we apply the Quintuple Aim framework to appraise the QIP and highlight its successes and prominent criticisms. We argue that, though QIP measures identify low-performing dialysis facilities, the program struggles to improve outcomes for people receiving dialysis, particularly individuals with greater health-related social needs. We conclude with specific recommendations for future iterations of the QIP.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72096,"journal":{"name":"Advances in kidney disease and health","volume":"32 5","pages":"Pages 400-410"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145712246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abhinav Bhalla , Sri Lekha Tummalapalli , Jeffrey Silberzweig
{"title":"Quality Metrics in Dialysis: It Takes a Village","authors":"Abhinav Bhalla , Sri Lekha Tummalapalli , Jeffrey Silberzweig","doi":"10.1053/j.akdh.2024.12.001","DOIUrl":"10.1053/j.akdh.2024.12.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dialysis is a specialized therapy rendered by a team of interdisciplinary professionals. Federal regulations mandate that dialysis facility staff, at minimum, include a registered nurse, physician, social worker, and dietitian. To ensure that patients on dialysis receive high-quality care, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services introduced the first federally mandated pay for performance program in January 2012: the ESRD Quality Incentive Program. Quality metrics in the ESRD Quality Incentive Program have continuously evolved, necessitating greater involvement from the dialysis interdisciplinary team. In this article, we discuss the interdisciplinary nature of dialysis facility staffing and highlight the critical role of all care team members in attaining high performance on dialysis quality metrics. In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, we highlight recent staffing challenges and propose strategies to alleviate workforce shortages. Finally, we review 2 major trends: (1) an increased emphasis on home dialysis and (2) calls to address social determinants of health, which will require the interdisciplinary team to assume an even larger role in achieving high-quality care.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72096,"journal":{"name":"Advances in kidney disease and health","volume":"32 5","pages":"Pages 451-459"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145712251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Incremental Peritoneal Dialysis","authors":"Agatha Chan , Fredric O. Finkelstein","doi":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.01.004","DOIUrl":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.01.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Incremental peritoneal dialysis, which has been attracting much attention recently, refers to the initiation of peritoneal dialysis using a modified dialysis regimen that takes into account a patient's residual kidney function. Incremental peritoneal dialysis has certain advantages over standard therapy in terms of reducing costs, limiting dextrose exposure, reducing waste, and perhaps improving outcomes associated with peritoneal dialysis. Implementing an incremental peritoneal dialysis program necessitates an understanding of the basic goals and objectives of peritoneal dialysis therapy in terms of solute removal, volume monitoring, and individual patient goals and objectives of treatment. Careful monitoring of patients started on an incremental peritoneal dialysis regimen is essential. These issues are all discussed in the manuscript.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72096,"journal":{"name":"Advances in kidney disease and health","volume":"32 5","pages":"Pages 422-425"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145712248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Adequacy Measurement for the 21st Century: Revisiting Kt/Vurea","authors":"Yoshitsugu Obi , Tariq Shafi","doi":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.05.003","DOIUrl":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.05.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Congressional legislation extending Medicare to cover end-stage kidney disease mandated quality assurance in dialysis care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services enforces this mandate by establishing quality standards for dialysis facilities, relying on clinical practice guidelines in selecting specific metrics. For evaluating the adequacy of the delivered dialysis dose, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services selected the guideline-recommended minimal single pool Kt/V of urea (Kt/V). In this narrative review, we outline the evolution of Kt/V as an adequacy metric, noting that Kt/V alone is insufficient to ensure the clearance of all uremic solutes in patients receiving dialysis. We highlight that the guideline-recommended Kt/V metrics are based on post hoc observational interpretation of randomized controlled trials and are not generalizable to all patients treated with dialysis, particularly patients with substantial residual kidney function. We emphasize that the results of the recent hemodiafiltration trials suggest that dialysis treatment-related factors beyond Kt/V can change patient outcomes. We recommend discontinuing “dialysis adequacy” synonymously with Kt/V and suggest reducing the emphasis on Kt/V from a single dialysis treatment as a key quality metric.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72096,"journal":{"name":"Advances in kidney disease and health","volume":"32 5","pages":"Pages 411-421"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145712247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Patient's Perspective on Quality Metrics in Dialysis","authors":"Glenda V. Roberts","doi":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.09.003","DOIUrl":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.09.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dialysis quality metrics have been largely driven by laboratory and other clinical parameters. There is an increasing focus on incorporating patients' perspectives as recipients of dialysis care, and thus weaving principles of quality of life and patient-centeredness along with evidence-based dialysis delivery. This aspect is narrated in the following piece through the eyes of a patient's journey.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72096,"journal":{"name":"Advances in kidney disease and health","volume":"32 5","pages":"Pages 395-399"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145712245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Next Frontier of Kidney Care Quality: Addressing Known Gaps to Transform Care Delivery","authors":"Mallika L. Mendu , Wingel Xue , Lipika Samal","doi":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.01.009","DOIUrl":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.01.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Over the past decade, quality measurement for patients with kidney disease has been centered on pay-for-performance metrics for kidney failure. From the seminal Centers for Medicare Services ESRD Quality Incentive Program in 2012 to Centers for Medicare Services dialysis start ratings in 2015 to more recent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation value-based care kidney models, like ESRD Treatment Choices and Kidney Care Choices, there has largely been a focus on care provided in dialysis units. The value of existing kidney-based quality measures has been evaluated, illustrating challenges with validity, attribution, and risk adjustment. Similarly, the current models of incentivization have been questioned with respect to meaningful impacts on improving care. In order to transform kidney care quality, the next phase of quality program development must focus on patient-centeredness, clinical outcomes, and health equity and should be applied across the continuum of kidney care delivery; incorporation of these elements is critical to ensure patients’ perspectives on quality are included, longstanding disparities are addressed, and silos of CKD care are broken down. There is an opportunity to fundamentally shift kidney care quality to a new frontier and drive real improvements in care delivery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72096,"journal":{"name":"Advances in kidney disease and health","volume":"32 5","pages":"Pages 442-450"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143384188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dipal M. Patel , Daniel E. Weiner , Alan S. Kliger
{"title":"Quality Metrics: Considerations for a Path Forward","authors":"Dipal M. Patel , Daniel E. Weiner , Alan S. Kliger","doi":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.09.004","DOIUrl":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.09.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Current practices for assessing quality in dialysis may not enable clinical teams to provide care which prioritizes each patient's needs and preferences. We consider how a more patient-centered approach, which synthesizes input from multi-level stakeholders, can be integrated with the next iteration of quality metrics in dialysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72096,"journal":{"name":"Advances in kidney disease and health","volume":"32 5","pages":"Pages 460-464"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145454117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Quality Assessment in Dialysis: Adapting to an Evolving World","authors":"Dipal M. Patel, Alan S. Kliger, Daniel E. Weiner","doi":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.09.002","DOIUrl":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.09.002","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72096,"journal":{"name":"Advances in kidney disease and health","volume":"32 5","pages":"Pages 393-394"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145440141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Pathology of Tubulointerstitial Kidney Disease: A Clinicopathologic Approach to Narrowing the Differential Diagnosis","authors":"Leal Herlitz, Michael Kuperman","doi":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.06.003","DOIUrl":"10.1053/j.akdh.2025.06.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tubulointerstitial kidney disease can be recognized histologically as tubulointerstitial injury that is out of proportion to glomerular or vascular pathology. While recognizable as a histologic entity, determining a more precise underlying etiology for tubulointerstitial disease can be a diagnostic challenge. This review presents a clinicopathologic approach intended to help nephrologists and pathologists narrow the clinical differential diagnosis of tubulointerstitial disease. Inflammatory tubulointerstitial disease can often be subcategorized based on the presence of specific types of inflammatory infiltrates, such as eosinophils, neutrophils or granulomas. Recognition of these inflammatory phenotypes raises and lowers some entities in the differential diagnosis. Broadly speaking, underlying causes of inflammatory tubulointerstitial disease include drug reaction, infection, and autoimmune diseases. The most common causes of acute noninflammatory tubulointerstitial disease are ischemic and toxic tubular injuries. Much of the time there is substantial overlap in the morphology of ischemic and toxic tubular injury, but there are distinctive findings in noninflammatory tubulointerstitial disease, including casts and crystals, that may allow for a more specific histologic diagnosis that maps to a narrower clinical differential diagnosis. Ultimately, understanding the root cause of tubulointerstitial disease requires careful integration of clinical history with histopathologic findings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72096,"journal":{"name":"Advances in kidney disease and health","volume":"32 4","pages":"Pages 333-340"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}