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VIDEO: Tips on making comanagement decisions for patients with CKD
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PHILADELPHIA — Primary care physicians should work with nephrologists to determine the best care options for their shared patients with chronic kidney disease, according to a speaker at the ACP Internal Medicine Meeting.
Patients with difficult to manage anemia, hyperkalemia and BP could be comanaged by PCPs and nephrologists, according to Joseph Vassalotti, MD, chief medical officer for the National Kidney Foundation and clinical associate in the department of nephrology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Vassalotti urged PCPs to refer patients to a nephrologist if the patient does not have diabetes or hypertension and the cause of CKD is unknown.
He also discussed how PCPs can work with nephrologists to determine treatment options for kidney failure and palliative care in patients with CKD.
“The more you work together, the more successful things will be for your patients,” Vassalotti said.
In his interview with Healio Primary Care Today, Vassalotti also discussed the management of blood pressure in patients with CKD, CKD metabolic acidosis and the use of SGLT2 inhibitors. – by Erin Michael
Disclosure: Vassalotti reports being a consultant for Merck.