The number of full- and part-time dialysis center staff in the United States has shown an increase from 2004-2016. However, approximately 5% of nursing positions remain unfilled, while ~2% of social worker and dietician positions remain unfilled.
Chart Explanation: The numbers of staffing positions continues to grow, although ~5% of nursing positions and ~2% of social worker and dietitian positions remained unfilled in 2016. There were, on average, 14 dialysis patients for each registered nurse in 2016; there were about 100, 63, and 64 patients per licensed vocation and licensed practical nurse, dietitian, and social worker, respectively. There were 10 patients per patient care technician. These patient:staff ratios did not change substantially over the time period 2004 to 2016 (not shown in figure).
The United States Renal Data System (USRDS) is a national registry of all patients treated for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States. It is sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that reports prevalence of all treated ESRD in the United States. U.S. population denominators are determined through U.S. Census data. Tables from the USRDS annual report (
United States Renal Data System, 2018) are publicly available for download.
| Field | Data |
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| Description of Measure | Dialysis and transplant centers (stage 5) |
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| Data Source | USRDS (NIDDK/CMS) |
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| Type of Data Source | Public |
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| Data Set | USRDS |
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| Health Care System Data | No |
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| Regional or National? | National |
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| Demographic Group | Facilities with Medicare-eligible U.S. citizens with ESRD |
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| Definition of CKD | Stage 5, <15 ml/min per 1.73 m² with Medicare-eligibility for ESRD-related treatment |
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| Primary Data Source Indicator | Number of full-time and part-time staffing positions at dialysis facilities |
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| Primary Indicator Method of Measurement | Claims |
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| Frequency of Measurement (Primary) | Annual (cross-sectional) |
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| U.S. Region Covered by Primary Variable | All |
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| Period Currently Available | 2016 |
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| Pending Data | 2017 |
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| Additional Data Items of Interest | Type/ownership of facilities, treatment modalities offered, center staffing |
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| Limitations of Indicator | Only those who are Medicare-eligible are captured & eligibility may be delayed |
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| Analytical Considerations | Point vs. period prevalent counts; census data can be used for population denominator (per U.S. population) |
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References and Sources:
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United States Renal Data System. 2017 USRDS annual data report: Epidemiology of kidney disease in the United States. National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD, 2017.
https://www.usrds.org/reference.aspx
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United States Renal Data System. 2018 USRDS annual data report: Epidemiology of kidney disease in the United States. National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD, 2018.
https://www.usrds.org/reference.aspx
