Abstract: PO0089
Assessing the Impact of a Renal Care Management Program on Disease Progression Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Session Information
- COVID-19: Health Systems and More
November 04, 2021 | Location: On-Demand, Virtual Only
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- 000 Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Authors
- Crossman, Ashley, Optum Inc, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States
- Plosser, Kevin, Optum Inc, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States
- Dhawan, Rahul, Optum Inc, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States
- Bannister, Wade M., Optum Inc, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States
Group or Team Name
- Optum Kidney Resource Services Team
Background
The transition to dialysis among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients marks a significant change in health accompanied by increases in morbidity and health care costs. Delaying this transition means extending the patient’s quality of life and cost savings. The effects of renal care management on the transition to dialysis and whether having access to the program impacts the risk of transitioning to dialysis as well as the timeline of transitioning to dialysis is necessary to study given the increased role of case management programs with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.Understanding the role of disease management programs provide direction for management programs across the globe
Methods
The design is a retrospective, cohort study of patients in the US drawn from a national claims database who were identified as having CKD 4 or 5 on July 1, 2018. The data was analyzed to determine whether program access affected the rate of transition to dialysis and the likelihood of transitioning to dialysis from 2018 to 2020.
Results
We followed the cohort of 7,992 participants (3,561 with access to Kidney Resource Services and 4,431 without access to Kidney Resource Services) during a two year period from 2018 to 2020. Those with access to Kidney Resource Services transitioned to dialysis later than those without access to the program. Further, after controlling for patient risk and characteristics, patients with access to the program had a 22 percent reduced risk of initiating dialysis compared to those without access.
Conclusion
Patients with stage 4 or 5 CKD who have access to renal care management have a reduced risk of transitioning to dialysis as well as a later transition to dialysis compared to CKD patients without access to renal care management. Further research is needed given the increased need for education during and post the COVID-19 pandemic to address social and clinical determinants of health.