New Data on Disparities in End-Stage Renal Disease Patient Care

Persistent disparities in dialysis patient outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries point to the importance of greater health equity. A study by Westat Insight’s Dominick Esposito, Ph.D., and coauthors Andrew Breck, Ph.D., Jeffrey Marr, and Marc Turenne, Ph.D., explored the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP) and social risk factors to bring health disparities to light.

Published in a recent issue of Medical Care, the article, The Role of Social Risk Factors in Dialysis Quality and Patient Outcomes Under a Medicare Quality Incentive Program, found no evidence of widening disparities in dialysis care or patient outcomes, which is a longstanding and well-publicized concern with value-based purchasing programs.

In a recent editorial in the same journal, Health Equity in Dialysis Facilities: A Requirement or an Afterthought?, authors note: “The manuscript by Breck and colleagues does an important service to the field by moving our understanding of ESRD care one step forward.”

Westat Insight is a wholly owned subsidiary of Westat and branded as “Westat Insight.”