Sensing Savvy

(Gleaned from the 2018 USRDS Annual Data Report: Volume II: Chapter 3)

Clinical practice guidelines from the National Kidney Foundation in 2006 recommend an autogenous arteriovenous (AV) fistula as the preferred vascular access for hemodialysis. Central venous catheters are associated with higher risks of death, infection and cardiovascular events than other types of vascular access. Patients with a usable AV fistula exhibit the lowest risks for these events.

When a person (or their loved one) becomes ill or injured, they have several choices for where they’ll receive the care they need. In addition to traditional physician’s offices and emergency rooms, patients today can also select from urgent care facilities, retail clinics, telemedicine solutions and home health visits.

To determine how patients and their families choose care settings, the University of California Irvine surveyed more than 5,000 employees and published an analysis in Health Services Research. The survey included 10 clinical scenarios ranging in severity, and participants were asked to select their preferred care setting for each.

Here are a few key findings you need to know.

Though there is still a wage gap among physicians, the earnings for female physicians increased from 2018 to 2019, going from $203,000 per year for primary care physicians to $207,000 and from $263,000 for specialties to $280,000.

(Gleaned from the 2018 USRDS Annual Data Report: Volume 1, Chapter 7: www.usrds.org)

Persons with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but not end-stage renal disease (ESRD) often have extensive healthcare needs and frequently face coexisting illnesses. Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in managed care grew from 13 percent in 2004 to 33 percent in 2017. In March 2017, 19 million individuals were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan.

Large Dialysis Providers have Strong Growth in Home Dialysis

According to a survey from Nephrology News & Issues, the 10 largest dialysis providers had 35% of patients on home dialysis, that‘s 15 percentage points higher than survey results from 2018 and 2017. Among the providers, home hemodialysis grew from 5,783 patients in 2013 to 8,807 patients in 2019.

Source: Nephrology News & Issues

(Gleaned from the 2018 USRDS Annual Data Report: Volume II: Chapter 10)

Pharmaceutical therapy is integral to ESRD treatment and has positive health outcomes. Medications combined with the clinical and socioeconomic status of ESRD patients make their prescription drug benefits particularly important. Drug coverage, drug-related costs, and patterns of prescription drug use for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients is irrelevant information. Analgesics used by ESRD patients is of particular interest because of the continuing opioid epidemic. Another category of prescription meds worth examining is prescription antivirals, a category with high and growing costs.

The upcoming physician shortage may be more serious than previously expected, according to data shared by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in its 2019 report, Physician Supply and Demand A 15-Year Outlook: Key Findings.

The report, based on a study by economic modeling and forecasting firm IHS Markit, analyzes projects from 2017 through 2032. The sobering data outlines the growing need for new physicians, despite positive changes in public health. If not addressed immediately, the discrepancy between supply and demand could lead to a serious crisis.

Here are five important takeaways from this survey:

(Gleaned from the 2018 USRDS Annual Data Report: Volume II: Chapter 8)

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are among the highest risk populations for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)—a major cause of death in ESRD patients. The relationship between kidney disease and acute myocardial infarction (AMI), coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure (HF), and sudden death/cardiac arrhythmias is complex and bi-directional. ESRD often complicates disease management of CVD, influencing both medical and procedural options, thereby adversely affecting a patient’s prognosis.

Shortly after its inception in 1983, Transonic began partnering with outside companies as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

Transonic’s OEM applications range from the use of standard Transonic products straight off the shelf to customized devices that wouldn't normally be recognized as a Transonic device.

Together with our collaborators, we have expanded previous flow measurement ranges to include measurements in ultra-low flow applications, such as cerebrospinal fluids, lymph and other novel mediums.

Long shifts and little time off have always been associated with healthcare professions — specifically physician training. For many new medical practitioners, sleepless nights and holidays on-the-clock feel like a right-of-passage.