BOSTON, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts study finds many Medicare patients with chronic kidney disease do not get recommended screening tests and preventive care.
Dr. Annamaria T. Kausz of Tufts-New England Medical Center and her colleagues studied the records of almost 2,500 patients during the two years before they began dialysis.
They found many diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease did not receive tests for other diabetes-related conditions. One-third had no eye examinations, while one-third did not have cholesterol and blood lipid levels tested, and one-fourth did not get hemoglobin AIC testing.
The researchers found shortcomings in the care of CKD patients generally. About half had tests for anemia, and only 15 percent had testing of parathyroid hormone levels.
Kausz said Medicare patients with CKD did not receive worse care than other Medicare patients. But she said the findings reflect a general failure to provide screening and care.
The study was published in the October issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
