Home dialysis utilization has been growing in the US, more needs to be done
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Although home hemodialysis utilization has increased since the pandemic, uptake still can be improved upon, according to a speaker at the Annual Dialysis Conference.
Eric Weinhandl, PhD, MS, epidemiologist and the senior director of data analytics and home therapies at Satellite Healthcare, discussed changes in home hemodialysis (HHD) utilization in the US, highlighting one dataset among many that showed an increase in uptake since the pandemic.
According to Weinhandl, 4.3% of patients on dialysis at Centers for Dialysis Care were using HHD in 2021, and by 2022 that number rose to 5.1%.
While an increase like this important, there is still room for improvement. Currently, 2.1% of patients on dialysis in the US are on HHD. In Australia, that number is 8% and New Zealand ranks the highest with 12%.
“While we're not bad in the international landscape, we do lag behind our peers in the Commonwealth,” Weinhandl said.
According to the presentation, factors that may help HHD grow include the End-Stage Kidney Disease Treatment Choices demonstration, which offers dialysis providers financial incentives to increase the number of patients they place on home dialysis; the use of transitional care units and better care coordination. Moreover, educating patients and talking to them about HHD as a modality option can also impact the percentage of patients utilizing the modality.
Weinhandl said, “There is something to be said for the basic conclusion that when you have the conversation, even if it's a pretty basic one that simply says, ‘Do you know home dialysis exists?’ you actually do get some percentage point gains right away.”
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Weinhandl E. Recent breaking trends in home dialysis. Presented at: Annual Dialysis Conference. March 3-6, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri.
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