The healthy start renal clinic: benefits of tracking and early intervention in pre-end stage renal disease patients.

Several studies have demonstrated a strong association between the benefits of pre-end stage renal disease (ESRD) education and decreased length of hospital stay (LOS) and hospital charges, delay of renal replacement therapy (RRT), and a smooth transition to RRT. The Ochsner Healthy Start Renal Clinic (HSRC) is a multidisciplinary early education and tracking program for pre-ESRD patients and their families. We identified and educated pre-ESRD patients about kidney disease, allowing them to discuss and make informed decisions about their treatment and be better prepared to cope with the transition to RRT and the changes in their lives resulting from kidney failure. HSRC patients demonstrated a significant decrease in length of hospital stay (p = 0.05), a trend towards decreased hospital episodes and charges, decreased use of temporary venous access, and a smooth transition to RRT. The control group was made up of patients who had either refused the structured education or had been referred to HSRC late and received only conventional instruction by a social worker at the point where dialysis was imminent. We compared the number of episodes of hospitalization, LOS, and overall hospital charges for the period immediately surrounding initiation of chronic dialysis (2 months before and 1 month following onset) of all 36 patients who began chronic hemodialysis in our facility between November 1997 and November 1998. HSRC patients had LOS half as long (p=0.05), fewer hospital episodes, and hospital charges of $5,000 less per patient than the non-HSRC group. Initial data strongly suggest that early education and intervention through the coordination of a multidisciplinary team maximize the continuity of patient care.