Are You Aware? Quick Facts About Kidney Disease

More than one-third of male and female Medicare patients with advanced kidney disease are not seeing a kidney doctor before developing kidney failure

Seeing a kidney doctor (nephrologist) is recommended for people with advanced kidney disease. Delayed care may lead to missed opportunities for disease management and poor preparation for dialysis treatment. In the United States, the percentage of Medicare patients with advanced kidney disease who reported receiving care from a nephrologist before developing kidney failure, or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), was similar for men and women (62.5% and 63.6%, respectively, in 2015). From 2006 to 2015, the percentage seeing a nephrologist increased for both men and women, from about 57% to 63% (P <0.001). Despite the increasing percentage of care over the past years, more than one-third of men and women with advanced kidney disease are not seeing a nephrologist before being diagnosed with ESRD. Continued efforts to increase awareness of the importance of nephrologist care in people with advanced kidney disease and referral by providers will assist in improving this trend. See the Chronic Kidney Disease Surveillance website to find out more about nephrology care prior to ESRD.