Dialysis facility ratings explained

The measures behind the CMS five-star dialysis rating, and the practical details worth checking when choosing a centre.

CMS rates dialysis facilities from one to five stars using standardised measures: patient survival, hospitalisation, hospital readmission, transfusion, emergency-department visits and the percentage of patients waitlisted for a kidney transplant.

Better than expected, as expected, worse than expected

Each measure compares the facility with national expectations adjusted for its patients, so a small rural centre and a large urban one are judged on their own case mix. The overall stars combine the measures, but the individual results are worth reading separately.

Practical details that matter as much

• Whether the facility offers in-centre haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and home-haemodialysis training.
• How many stations it runs and whether it has a late shift.
• Distance and travel time for three sessions a week.

The free US Dialysis Centers directory lists 7,490 facilities with every measure, the services offered, station counts and phone numbers from CMS data.

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