Helpful tools and links for professionals
Quick links
Share a resource
- Have a professional resource you'd like to share? Tell us!
Clinical info, tools, & resources
- MATCH-D - a tool developed by the Medical Education Institute, Inc., to help nephrologists and dialysis staff identify and assess candidates for home dialysis therapies (PD and HHD). We've updated our MATCH-D tool so it can be used to document discussions about suitability for PD or home HD in a patients' medical record. Show CMS surveyors that you've complied with the new Conditions requirement with version 2.
download version 2
download version 1
- Download this PDF containing an extensive list of PD support resources.
download
- Learn four principles of PD in this downloadable medical textbook chapter.
download
- Download a fact sheet on PD put together by the American Nephrology Nurses Association.
download
- Learn how WellBound signifiantly reduced peritonitis, using Alcavis 50, in this presentation from the Annual Dialysis Conference, 2009.
view in html | download
- John Moran, Corporate Medical Director of , presented this slide set at the Annual Dialysis Conference 2007. It discusses dialysis patient recruitment and selection.
view in html | download
- DaVita Diet Helper - makes it easier to plan kidney-friendly meals and prepare and track using this online dialysis-diet tool. SPONSOR
view site
- Home Hemodialysis University - register for DaVita-run live programs and web conferences to learn more about home hemodialysis. SPONSOR
view site
- PDU CONNECTion - an interactive, online community of registrants of the PD University program.
view site
- Read the K/DOQI™ Clinical Practice Guidelines for dialysis quality.
view site
- Calculate your GFR online (for adults or children).
view site
- Are you getting adequate PD? Read the AAKP's advisory.
view site
- Calculate Kt/V with this online calculator from the HDCN site.
view site
- Calculate PD adequacy with this online tool.
view site
- Download a PD adequacy calculator onto your Palm Pilot®.
view site
- Find physician-reviewed information on kidney disease and its treatment.
view site
- Renalweb has gathered a variety of resources related to home hemodialysis.
view site
- Read about the history of home hemodialysis in the U.S. in this 1997 article.
view site
Dialysis registries
- ANZDATA - Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry.
view site
- ERA-EDTA - European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Assocation Registry.
view site
- Quotidian Registry - Canada and U.S.
view site
- RENINE - Netherlands.
view site
- USRDS - United States Renal Data System.
view site
- International Federation of Renal Registries (IFRR)
view site
Clinical outcomes
- Bibliography of literature on daily hemodialysis and selected home hemodialysis (included with permission of Dr. Carl Kjellstrand, updated December 2007).
download
- Bibliography of literature on the clinical aspects of daily and nocturnal hemodialysis (abstracts provided when available).
download
- Dr. Michael Rocco presents the scientific rationale for the NIH More Frequent Hemodialysis study.
view in html | download
- The Medical Education Institute put together slides and a speaker's script to introduce home hemodialysis to social workers, with support from an unrestricted educational grant from Aksys, Ltd.
view in html | download
- See the history and growth of daily and nocturnal dialysis (in-center and at home) from 1998 to 2005 in Canada and the United States. Slides provided by Dr. Robert S. Lockridge, from his presentation at the Annual Dialysis Conference in Tampa, FL, February, 2005.
view in html | download
- Dialysis pioneer Dr. Zbylut Twardowski makes the case for longer, more frequent hemodialysis in this presentation delivered on September 19, 2004, at the NKF of Illinois' "Dialysis in the 21st Century" meeting in Chicago, IL.
view in html | download
- Dr. Robert S. Lockridge, Medical Director of Home Training at Lynchburg Dialysis, explains why more renal replacement therapy is needed to improve patient outcomes in this presentation delivered on September 19, 2004, at the NKF of Illinois' "Dialysis in the 21st Century" meeting in Chicago, IL.
view in html | download
- See an educational webinar given by Dr. John Agar as he offers the U.S. a view on the future of dialysis.
view video
- Watch this video about daily home hemo patient Bill Peckham, used with permission from, and provided by, Northwest Kidney Centers.
view video
- In 2001, Dr. Stanley Shaldon delivered a lecture outlining the accomplishments that led to the development of home dialysis. Now, as we embrace this technology as "new", it's interesting that it actually began in the 1960s! Here is the 7-part series of Quicktime lectures that capture the history of home dialysis.
view video
- Read summaries of 25 landmark "Milestone" papers published by the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO) between 1955 and 2003.
view site
Patient self-management
- Modality Comparison Chart to Show Your Patients
view in html | download
- My Med Schedule® is a great medication reminder and it is free! Personal medication charts clearly shows the times patients should take each medicine or supplement, and how much to take. There are even images of patients' pills so there is no confusion.
view site
- Read the NKF's Family Focus issue on Home Dialysis, Spring, 2005.
download
PD resources
- Read the CDC's fact sheet on PD Infection Control in disaster settings.
download
- Read about new guidelines from the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis in this summary provided by Dr. Beth Piraino.
download
- Bibliography of literature on the clinical aspects of peritoneal dialysis (abstracts provided when available).
download
- Bibliography: "Cost economics of peritoneal dialysis" (abstracts included where available).
download
Peritoneal Dialysis - From Basic Concepts to Clinical Excellence Leading experts in the field have contributed to this volume, discussing topics such as the biology of the peritoneal membrane, dialysis solutions, inflammation and nutrition, PD adequacy, or complications and their management or PD in special settings. It represents an important source of information for beginners and experts, basic scientists and clinical physicians, students and investigators who want to have a true update on current research and clinical practice in peritoneal dialysis.
order book- Presternal PD Catheters! Learn about their placement, use, and outcomes in this article by Dr. Zbylut Twardowski.
view site
- PDServe Connection newsletter
view site
Reimbursement
- Conditions for Coverage: these rules establish new conditions for coverage that dialysis facilities must meet to be certified under the Medicare program (published April 15, 2008).
download
- Boston Conference Letter – leading U.S. nephrologists, including Chief Medical Officers from and , are calling for reimbursement of longer and/or more frequent dialysis.
download
- What Medicare pays for home dialysis supplies. Read the regulations themselves.
download
- September, 2004, article by Tony Messana about home dialysis reimbursement, courtesy of Nephrology News & Issues.
download
- Bibliography: "Cost economics of home hemodialysis" (abstracts included where available).
download
- Bibliography: "Cost economics of peritoneal dialysis" (abstracts included where available).
download
- Home Dialysis Reimbursement & Financial Considerations (courtesy of Anthony Messana).
view in html | download
- How to become certified to offer home dialysis: Step-by-step
view site
Vascular access and buttonhole
- A How-To Manual: The Art of Teaching Buttonhole Self-Cannulation It is generally accepted that patients who self-cannulate have better access outcomes. They don't rely entirely on their doctors and nurses; they take ownership of their care and control of their lives.
download
- Fistula First A vascular access (a way to get the blood to and from the artificial kidney) is your lifeline if you choose hemodialysis. There are three types of access, and a fistula is preferred if you can have one. The grid below was compiled as part of Medicare's Fistula First program to increase the use of fistulas in the U.S.
download
(Fistula First tools provided courtesy of the Northwest Renal Network)
- MediSystems makes buttonhole needles in a variety of sizes
download
- Techniques and Troubleshooting AV Fistulas
download
- Presentation on Cannulation Training
download
- What are the advantages of the buttonhole technique? Find out in Dr. Zbylut Twardowski's presentation.
view in html | download
- Dialysis patient Bill Peckham self-cannulates using the Buttonhole technique.
view video
- How to Do the Buttonhole Technique
download
- How to Cannulate a New Fistula
download
- Avoiding Clamp Use with Fistulas
download
- Assessing Dynamic Venous Pressure
download
- Checklist of Catheter Indications
download
- Algorithm for Permanent Vascular Access
download
- Rate Your Staff's Cannulation Abilities
download
- Starting a Buttonhole & Cannulating a Buttonhole (with step-by-step instructions and diagrams)
view site
- Buttonhole Method of Needle Insertion into an AVF video demonstrates a patient self-cannulating his AVF using the Buttonhole (constant-site) technique.
view site
- Read the "hows" and "whys" of the buttonhole technique
view site
- See a photo of a fistula and read about how Judy learned to put in her own needles
view site
Medicare coverage
- What are the codes that physicians use to bill for home dialysis? Find out the new Medicare billing codes, updated for 2009, and their associated G codes.
download
- Read about treatment of end-stage renal disease in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Internet manual, Chapter 11, §10.
download
- Read about hemodialysis coverage and training in the CMS Internet manual, Chapter 11, §60.1.
download
- Read about IPD coverage and training in the CMS Internet manual, Chapter 11, §60.2.
download
- Read about CAPD coverage and training in the CMS Internet manual, Chapter 11, §60.3.
download
- Read about CCPD coverage and training in the CMS Internet Manual, Chapter 11, §60.4.
download
- Medicare offers a patient booklet to help explain ESRD coverage.
download
- Medicare offers a booklet for physicians to help explain ESRD coverage.
download
- Read the Department of Health and Human Services Officer Inspector General's audit report on payment for home dialysis.
download
- The Kidney Medicare Drugs Awareness and Education Initiative website provides timely, consistent, reliable, and up-to-date information about Medicare and Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage (Part D) for kidney patients and the healthcare professionals involved in their care.
view site
- Read about enrolling in Medicare if you have kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplant.
view site
- Is Medicare rationing home dialysis? Read the article.
view site
Insurance coverage
- Aetna's Clinical Policy Bulletin explains its home hemodialysis and PD coverage.
view site
- The HealthWell Foundation® is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization established to assist patients with certain out-of-pocket healthcare costs. The Foundation provides financial assistance to patients seeking help with prescription drug coinsurance, copayments, deductibles, and health insurance premiums.
view site
Doctor payment
- Download an article by the Renal Physician's Association on changes to doctor payment for home dialysis.
download
Dialysis magazines & journals
- Nephrology News and Issues - monthly trade magazine offering a professional forum for the exchange of ideas in renal care.
view site
- Advances in Renal Replacement Therapy - quarterly journal of the National Kidney Foundation, with review articles on care and treatment of patients with kidney disease.
view site
- American Journal of Kidney Diseases - monthly research journal of the National Kidney Foundation.
view site
- American Journal of Nephrology - bimonthly journal on basic science.
view site
- Daily and Nocturnal Hemodialysis - new book focusing on short daily and long nightly quotidian dialysis, including how to run a program, vascular access requirements, ongoing management, and more.
view site
- Dialysis and Transplantation - monthly trade magazine offering clinical observations and studies evaluating methods to address those observations.
view site
- Hemodialysis International - quarterly journal of the International Society for Hemodialysis. The journal's purpose is to foster dialysis education and research with the aid of conferences, publications, and the Internet.
view site
- Hypertension, Dialysis & Clinical Nephrology - education site for kidney physicians and nurses, including CME and CE.
view site
- Journal of the American Society of Nephrology - monthly journal with studies on kidney function, mechanisms of disease, and ways to improve care.
view site
- Journal of Renal Nutrition - quarterly journal of the National Kidney Foundation's Council on Renal Nutrition.
view site
- Kidney International - monthly journal of the International Society of Nephrology. Contains original research in basic science and clinical medicine.
view site
- Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation - monthly Oxford University Press journal on basic and clinical science.
view site
- Nephrology Nursing Journal - bimonthly journal of the American Nephrology Nurses Association.
view site
- Nephron Clinical Practice, Nephron Experimental Nephrology, Nephron Physiology - Three quarterly subjournals, available together or separately to provide focus on specific topics of clinical interest.
view site
- Peritoneal Dialysis International - bimonthly journal of the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis.
view site
- Seminars in Dialysis - bimonthly journal focusing on cutting-edge clinical issues in nephrology.
view site
