Analysis of Specialty Nephrology Care Among Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease and High Risk of Disease Progression

IMPORTANCE Identification of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) with high risk of progression to kidney failure can help ensure they receive appropriate and effective nephrology care. OBJECTIVE To examine whether patients with CKD at various levels of kidney failure risk receive nephrology care within 1 year of established risk. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This population-based, retrospective cohort study collected nationwide administrative health claims data from 156 733 adult patients who met the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes initiative CKD diagnostic criteria between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2019, and had an available urine albumin to creatinine ratio within 90 days of a serum creatinine laboratory test. Patients with a history of dialysis or kidney transplant, a prior visit with a nephrologist in the past year, or palliative care billing codes or those who died or disenrolled within 1 year of the albumin to creatinine ratio measurement were excluded. Data analysis was performed from September 10, 2022, to February 14, 2022. EXPOSURES Kidney failure risk computed with the 5-year Kidney Failure Risk Equation. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The main outcome was nephrology care rates across tiers of kidney failure risk, estimated as the proportion of individuals having a nephrologist visit within 1 year after index time. RESULTS The study population consisted of 156 733 patients with CKD (mean [SD] age, 74.6 [8.4] years; 91906 [58.6%] female; 86 457 [55.2%] White). A total of 106 004 patients (67.6%) had a low (<= 1%) 5-year risk of kidney failure. Nephrology visit rates increased with higher kidney failure risk. Among the 137 highest-risk patients, 79 (57.7%; 95% CI, 48.4%-64.7%) had a nephrology visit. Among 7730 patients with risk above a 10% threshold, 3208 (41.5%; 95% CI, 40.3%-42.4%) had a nephrology visit. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This study's findings suggest that nearly half of patients with CKD at high risk of progressing to kidney failure do not have a nephrologist visit within 1 year of established risk. These findings have implications in the design of risk-based guidelines for referral and in the practice of delivering nephrology care to patients with CKD.