Related Resources

Nephrologists
Patients
General
Professional Associations
US Government
ESRD Networks
References & Abstracts

Nephrologists

Renaliste [An email distribution list for Francophone nephrologists.] RENALISTE est une liste de diffusion francophone destinée aux Néphrologues et aux professionnels de la santé qui ont une relation directe avec la Néphrologie. Le site et la liste sont indépendants de toute entité administrative, commerciale, associative: ils se fournent un espace d’échange aux professionnels intéressés par la néphrologie pour faire communiquer simplement et rapidement à propos de toute procédure thérapeutique ou diagnostique servant l’intérêt de leurs malades.
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Patients

Kidney Patient News This site is sponsored by The Patient Services Department of The Renal Network, Inc. (ESRD Network 9/10). The site, designed to meet the needs of kidney patients and their families, provides information on diet and nutrition, treatment options, and other general information on vascular access.
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National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse This site provides information to patients with kidney failure to assist them in making decisions about treatment: type of treatment, advantages and disadvantages of each, and lifestyle changes necessary to lead full, active lives. The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) is an information dissemination service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), an agency of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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American Association of Kidney Patients The mission of the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is to improve the lives of kidney disease patients and their families by helping them to deal with the physical, emotional, and social impact of kidney disease. Some materials for patients on the site include “Kidney Beginnings: A Patient’s Guide To Living With Reduced Kidney Function” and “Understanding Your Hemodialysis Options.”
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General

The Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) The Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) is an ongoing observational study of hemodialysis patients in twelve countries, seeking to identify dialysis practices that contribute to improved mortality rates, hospitalization rates, health related quality of life, and vascular access outcomes.
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Journal of Vascular Access Launched in 1999, this journal dedicated to the field of vascular access has FREE online access to articles. See the Instruction to Authors to share your achievements in the field of vascular access. Review articles are also considered for publication.
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Nephron Information Center The Nephron Information Center website supports the generation and dissemination of valid health information relevant to providers and patients in the kidney disease community.
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Kidney Learning System (KLS) The National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Learning System (KLS)TM has education materials along the continuum of chronic kidney disease in print and online. Materials are available for patients and health care professionals.
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Nephrology News & Issues, Inc. (NN&I) Nephrology News & Issues, Inc. (NN&I) publishes a monthly magazine for the renal community. Their mission is “to provide the best professional forum for the exchange of ideas in renal care.” The magazine’s monthly issues and articles are available and searchable online.
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National Kidney Disease Education Program The National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) seeks to reduce morbidity and mortality from kidney disease by raising awareness about the seriousness of kidney disease, the importance of testing people at risk, and the availability of treatment options to prevent or slow kidney failure. An initiative of the US National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the NKDEP site contains information for health care professionals as well as for patients and their families.
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United States Renal Data System The United States Renal Data System (USRDS) is a national data system that collects, analyzes, and distributes information about end stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States. The USRDS is funded directly by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS, formerly HCFA). USRDS staff collaborate with members of CMS, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), and the ESRD Networks, sharing datasets and actively working to improve the accuracy of ESRD patient information.
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Vascular Access Society This website contains clinical algorithms on vascular access for hemodialysis to assist in the management of renal patients. These guidelines were developed by an interdisciplinary group of international medical experts on vascular access.
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Vascular Access Tracking Tool (VATT) and Instructions This site contains the Vascular Access Tracking Tool (VATT), also known as the “Fistula First (FF) Data Collection Tool,” and an accompanying “FF Utility” (Users Guide). These downloadable tools can be used to collect data on the type of vascular access used for a dialysis treatment. The tool, designed for use at the facility level, can also be used by an individual physician or physician group. The tool distinguishes between patients who are using a temporary access while a permanent one matures, and patients starting dialysis with only a single access. It also contains a patient log and a facility summary.
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National Kidney Foundation The National Kidney Foundation, Inc., a major voluntary health organization, seeks to prevent kidney and urinary tract diseases, improve the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases, and increase the availability of all organs for transplantation. The site has resources for patients and families, health care professionals, and organ donors and recipients.
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RenalWEB Dialysis Outcomes The RenalWEB home page has three sections that are updated daily: the News, Daily Promotions, and Of Interest features. These front page features make it easy and fast to locate the latest dialysis news stories and other new developments in dialysis care. Vascular access also has a specific topic button.
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Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) This website provides clinical practice guidelines, developed by volunteer physicians and health care providers, for all stages of chronic kidney disease and related complications, from diagnosis to monitoring and management. K/DOQI is a program of the National Kidney Foundation.
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Professional Associations

American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology (ASDIN) The American Society for Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology (ASDIN) is dedicated to improving all procedures important in the care of patients with kidney diseases through training and active participation of nephrologists. A principal goal of the society is to increase fistula use, and towards this goal ASDIN supports the training of nephrologists in endovascular procedures to maintain and promote maturation of fistulas, vein mapping, and graft and fistula ultrasound. The society also organizes scientific meetings on Interventional Nephrology, maintains an official journal (within Seminars in Dialysis) and provides certification and accreditation for training in a variety of procedures.
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National Renal Administrators Association The National Renal Administrators Association (NRAA) is a non-profit organization representing professional managers of dialysis facilities and centers throughout the United States. NRAA members include renal administrators, nurse managers, nurses, medical directors, technicians and financial/billing mangers for dialysis clinics, which provide life-sustaining dialysis care to the majority of Medicare end stage renal disease patients. NRAA represents the interests of ALL facilities — hospital-based and freestanding, for-profit and non-profit, independent and chain, urban and rural.
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Renal Physicians Association Organized in 1973, the Renal Physicians Association (RPA) is a national medical specialty association with a membership comprised of health care providers in the subspecialty area of internal medicine known as nephrology. RPA represents and serves nephrologists, practice managers, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants in their pursuit of quality renal health care.
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American Nephrology Nurses Association Official website of the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA). ANNA’s mission is to advance nephrology nursing practice and positively influence outcomes for patients with kidney or other disease processes requiring replacement therapies through advocacy, scholarship, and excellence.
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Society of Interventional Radiologists The improved ability of radiologists to see inside the body gave rise to interventional radiology (IR) — minimally invasive targeted treatments performed under guided imaging — in the mid-1970s. Interventional radiology procedures are a major advance in medicine that do not require large incisions, and offer less risk, less pain, and shorter recovery times compared to surgery.
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American Society of Nephrology (ASN) The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) was founded in 1967 as a nonprofit corporation to enhance and assist the study and practice of nephrology, to provide a forum for the promulgation of research, and to meet the professional and continuing education needs of its members.
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US Government

Veterans Administration Kidney Diseases Program This Veterans Administration website has resources and information on treating kidney disease, including Pre-End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Clinical Practice Guidelines and other useful information.
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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Program The Medicare ESRD Program is a national (United States) health insurance program for people with ESRD. The program is designed to encourage self-care dialysis and kidney transplantation and clarify reimbursement procedures to achieve effective cost control.
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ESRD Core Data Set The purpose of the Core Data Set, established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is to standardize the data elements and frequency of data collection from renal facilities.
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CMS ESRD Clinical Performance Measures (CPM) Project The ESRD CPM project provides a method to measure and report the quality of renal dialysis services provided under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) program based on the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) Guidelines. There are sixteen ESRD Clinical Performance Measures (CPMs) in total, four of which are for vascular access. The ESRD CPMs are collected annually on a national random sample of adult hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients in the United States. Annual reports for the CPM project are posted on this site.
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ESRD Networks

Forum of ESRD Networks The Forum of ESRD Networks is a nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of its membership and coordinates projects and activities of mutual interest to ESRD Networks. All 18 ESRD Networks are members of the Forum which facilitates the flow of information and advances a national quality agenda with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other renal organizations. The mission of the Forum is to support the ESRD Networks in promoting and improving the quality of care to patients with renal disease through education and the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data and information.
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Network of New England, Inc. (ESRD Network 1) Network of New England, Inc. (ESRD Network 1) is a nonprofit agency under contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to improve the quality of care for patients with end stage renal disease. The Network’s mission is to facilitate the improvement of health care and quality of life for individuals who have chronic renal insufficiency, and for those who are treated with dialysis or transplantation.
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ESRD Network 4 ESRD Network 4 is a nonprofit organization contracted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for over 13,000 patients in 242 dialysis facilities, and 16 transplant centers in Pennsylvania and Delaware. We strive to maintain quality of care through systematic collection and analysis of data, provision of opportunities to register grievances, and provision of educational outreach opportunities in the environment of continuous quality improvement.
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Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition (ESRD Network 5) The Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition (MARC) is a nonprofit federal contractor for the ESRD Network 5 region, encompassing Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. MARC’s mission is to lead improvement in the delivery of quality of care for people with chronic kidney disease, valuing each member of the renal community and their role in achieving this goal.
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Southeastern Kidney Council (ESRD Network 6) The Southeastern Kidney Council (ESRD Network 6) works to improve the quality of care for people with end stage renal disease in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, serving over 400 dialysis and kidney transplant centers that provide care to over 33,000 patients.
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Florida Medical Quality Assurance, Inc. (ESRD Network 7) Florida Medical Quality Assurance, Inc. (ESRD Network 7) provides quality improvement, data management, grievance investigation, and patient and professional education services for more than 285 dialysis providers and 17,000 dialysis patients in the state of Florida. This website was constructed to provide the tools and knowledge needed to increase the quality of care and quality of life for Florida’s kidney patients.
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Network 8, Inc. Network 8, Inc. is the ESRD Network organization contracted with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to serve the dialysis and transplant providers in the Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee region. Renal professionals and patients on a volunteer Board of Directors and a Medical Review Board oversee the implementation of work in the CMS contract. Activities of Network 8, Inc. are designed to improve the quality of life and quality of care for kidney patients in the region through education, peer review, and data-driven activities conducted on an improvement model.
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The Renal Network, Inc. (ESRD Network 9/10) The Renal Network, Inc. (ESRD Network 9/10) is a nonprofit organization contracted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to assist dialysis and transplant centers to maintain high quality standards of care and to facilitate the achievement of optimal wellness for kidney disease patients. The Renal Network, Inc., as part of the ESRD Networks, serves more than 475 dialysis and transplant facilities and over 35,000 patients in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio.
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Renal Network of the Upper Midwest (ESRD Network 11) The Renal Network of the Upper Midwest (ESRD Network 11) is one of 18 regions in the US established by the federal government to improve the quality of care and services for people with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Network 11 serves a five-state region, including Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
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ESRD Network 12 ESRD Network 12 is a nonprofit corporation whose primary business is a contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to improve the quality of care for patients with end stage renal disease. Network 12 provides data management, quality improvement, grievance mediation, and educational services for kidney dialysis and transplant patients and the facilities that serve them in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.
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ESRD Network 13
Network 13 is a not-for-profit contractor with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide information, oversight and technical assistance to the renal communities of Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Our activities are designed to facilitate improvement of care and quality of life for dialysis and kidney transplant patients. We achieve this through quality improvement and educational services to the staff at facilities that serve this patient population.
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End Stage Renal Disease Network of Texas, Inc. (ESRD Network 14) The End Stage Renal Disease Network of Texas, Inc. (ESRD Network 14) is the contracted end stage renal disease quality improvement organization in Texas for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. For over 20 years the ESRD Networks have partnered with the dialysis and kidney transplant community to promote care that is consistent with current professional knowledge, medically necessary, and of high quality.
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Intermountain End Stage Renal Disease Network (ESRD Network 15) Intermountain End Stage Renal Disease Network (ESRD Network 15) contracts with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to collect and validate information relating to the care of ESRD patients, and to facilitate improvement in the quality of this care. The website includes information for both ESRD patients and ESRD professionals within ESRD Network 15 which encompasses Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.
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Northwest Renal Network (ESRD Network 16) Northwest Renal Network (ESRD Network 16) is a private nonprofit organization funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide information, oversight, and technical assistance which enhances and improves the quality of care given to Medicare End Stage Renal Disease Program beneficiaries and other kidney patients in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
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The TransPacific Renal Network (Network 17) The TransPacific Renal Network (Network 17) covers 45 counties in northern California, the state of Hawaii, and American Samoa, Guam and Saipan. It is the only network that stretches across oceans and the International Date Line. Our goal is to provide leadership for our chronic dialysis and transplantation professionals, and to promote delivery of the highest quality care to the 17,000 ESRD patients we serve in our network. Our website describes our leadership role and unique relationship as a contractor to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the many activities we undertake on behalf of our providers and consumers.
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Southern California Renal Disease Council (ESRD Network 18) Southern California Renal Disease Council (ESRD Network 18) serves as the liaison between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the 250+ renal dialysis and transplant providers in California’s 13 southernmost counties. The website describes the quality improvement, patient education, community outreach, and data collection/reporting services that ESRD Network 18 provides in support of patients, providers, and the ESRD Program.
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