News — Washington, DC (November 9, 2019) — Patients with kidney failure who receive hemodialysis at US clinics located in residential areas with a high percentage of Black residents are more likely to be hospitalized than those who receive hemodialysis in communities with a lower percentage of Black residents. The findings come from a study that will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2019 November 5–November 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
The analysis, conducted by Ladan Golestaneh MD, MS (Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center) and her colleagues, included 4,567 patients on hemodialysis from 154 facilities in 127 zip codes in the United States. Patients receiving dialysis in communities with a high percentage of Black residents had higher hospitalization rates (32% higher for communities with ≥14.4% Blacks vs. those with ≤1.8% Blacks), despite having equivalent dialysis care. The association remained after adjusting for individual race, clinical comorbidities, community level poverty, and dialysis quality and adherence.
“Higher risk for hospitalization in communities with a high percentage of Blacks is likely not a result of differences in quality of dialysis care, adherence practices, or clinical factors, but rather a result of as yet unidentified community level determinants of health,” said Dr. Golestaneh. “Healthcare disparities continue to exist even after measures taken by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services to bridge the quality gap, through measures such as the dialysis Quality Incentive Program, to promote high-quality services in outpatient dialysis facilities in communities across the U.S.”
Study: “Urban Segregation and Hospitalization Outcomes in Patients on Hemodialysis”
ASN Kidney Week 2019, the largest nephrology meeting of its kind, will provide a forum for more than 13,000 professionals to discuss the latest findings in kidney health research and engage in educational sessions related to advances in the care of patients with kidney and related disorders. Kidney Week 2019 will take place November 5 – November 10 in Washington, DC.
Since 1966, ASN has been leading the fight to prevent, treat, and cure kidney diseases throughout the world by educating health professionals and scientists, advancing research and innovation, communicating new knowledge, and advocating for the highest quality care for patients. ASN has more than 20,000 members representing 131 countries. For more information, please visit or contact the society at 202-640-4660.
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