Skip directly to site content
Kidney Disease Surveillance System

 
Home > Quality of Care > Laboratory Testing for CKD in the Health Care System > Percentage of U.S. Veterans Receiving Albuminuria Testing

Percentage of U.S. Veterans Receiving Albuminuria Testing

Percentage of U.S. Veterans Receiving Albuminuria Testing

The percentage of Veterans receiving albuminuria testing increased from 9.1% in 2005 to 21.9% in 2019. Albuminuria testing is higher among older Veterans except for those aged ≥70 years. More male than female Veterans received albuminuria testing (22.4% vs. 17.0%, 2019). Non-Hispanic White Veterans received slightly less albuminuria testing compared to other racial/ethnic groups (21.6% compared to > 23%). The percentage of albuminuria testing is approximately five times higher for Veterans with diabetes than those without diabetes. Veterans with hypertension were approximately 2.5 times more likely to receive albuminuria testing than those without hypertension.

Data Source: NATIONAL VA

To view the frequency of albuminuria testing among U.S. Veterans by risk categories, select from the drop-down menu below. Risk categories include overall Age, Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Diabetes, and Hypertension.

Albuminuria Testing (%), Overall
Select Risk Category
State: 
County: 
Data: 

Sort By:

+ View Data Table

This indicator does not consider labs that the clinician ordered but the patient did not complete. Data are not adjusted.

VHA is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient sites. VHA serves over 9 million enrolled Veterans each year. National VHA data were examined for Veterans with at least one outpatient visit during the federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30). Medical conditions were defined by ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes on at least one outpatient claim.

FieldData
Description of Measure

Urine albumin testing rates among users of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Data Set

VHA national data, using MedSAS data and MCA lab and prescription data files.

Population

Patients ≥ 20 years in VHA with at least one outpatient visit within the fiscal year.

Years Included

2005–2019.

Numerator

Patients aged ≥ 20 years who had a laboratory result for urine albumin to creatinine ratio within the fiscal year.

Denominator

Patients aged ≥ 20 years who had at least one outpatient visit during the fiscal year.

Urine albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR)

Urine albumin result divided by urine creatinine result in random urine.

Diabetes

Diabetes status determined by inpatient or outpatient diagnosis (ICD-9-CM or ICD-10-CM code), outpatient lab test results for HbA1c ≥ 6.5% or random glucose ≥ 200 mg/dL or filling an outpatient prescription for diabetes medication through the VHA pharmacy.

Hypertension

Hypertension is determined by inpatient or outpatient ICD-9-CM or ICD-10-CM code or filling a prescription for antihypertensive medication.

Analytical Considerations

Not all Veterans use VHA.


eGFR Formula Disclaimer
At the time of the last data update in summer 2022, the race-free eGFR formula was newly recommended and impact on health outcomes is underway. To avoid inconsistent results caused by different formulae, stakeholders continued using the eGFR formula with race during this transition. Since then, comparisons have been made. The estimates for the current website launch are still based on analyses using the eGFR formula with race, however plan is to use race-free eGFR formula for the next data update and upcoming website launch in fall 2023.