Kidney Disease Research Updates
Spring/Summer 2009

NKDEP Explores CKD Care Strategies in Community Health Centers

The National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) is set to begin evaluating the performance of community health care centers (CHCs) taking part in a pilot project aimed at improving chronic kidney disease (CKD) care.

A major goal of the NKDEP is to develop tools and resources for the detection and treatment of CKD. The NKDEP started the CHC-Chronic Kidney Disease Pilot (CHC-CKD Pilot) project in 2008 to develop effective strategies for improving CKD management in primary care settings.

“Community health centers are a critical primary care setting for people at high risk for CKD,” said Andrew S. Narva, M.D., director of the NKDEP. “Through their experiences on the project, the dedicated professionals working at these health centers are providing valuable feedback that will help inform what NKDEP can do to improve care for people with CKD nationwide.”

About 23 million Americans have CKD, which disproportionately affects minorities and is becoming increasingly prevalent. CKD can lead to kidney failure, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant. Although treatment cannot reverse CKD damage, it can greatly slow disease progression.

Working Together

The CHC-CKD Pilot involves a small group of CHCs in the Northeast region working together to design, implement, and monitor improvements in CKD prevention and care. The project aims to help CHCs incorporate changes to meet CKD screening and monitoring benchmarks and to identify best practices for wider dissemination. Each CHC has implemented practices that work best for its specific setting and needs, such as standing orders for certain tests every time at-risk patients visit the CHC, patient education through group visits, clinical staff training, and involvement of clinical pharmacy staff.

Through monthly conference calls and regular in-person meetings, the CHCs share effective practices, discuss lessons learned about their CKD-related activities, and identify areas of continuing need. The NKDEP provides technical support and additional training during these meetings, including advice about coordinating care with nephrologists.

Measuring Performance

The CHCs are measuring their delivery of CKD care—including CKD screening and management, screening for CKD complications, and CKD education—based on performance criteria predefined by the CHCs and the NKDEP.

Later this year, the NKDEP will analyze each CHC’s performance data and compile key lessons learned with the goal of expanding the project to health centers in other regions of the United States.

For more information about the CHC-CKD Pilot or to order free CKD education materials, visit www.nkdep.nih.gov.

NIH Publication No. 09–4531
August 2009

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