BACKGROUND: The database of a major regional health insurer was employed to identify the number and frequency of covered @entity1 with @entity740 ( @entity740 ). We then examined the characteristics of their care as defined, in part, by the frequency of physician visits and specialty referral, the characteristics of laboratory testing and total costs as indices of the quality of care of the subject population. METHODS: This retrospective, cross-sectional study analyzed insurance claims, laboratory results and medication prescription data. @entity1 with two estimated glomerular filtration rate readings below 60  ml/ @entity1009 .73  m(2) (n   =   20,388) were identified and classified by @entity740 stage. RESULTS: The prevalence of @entity740 stages 3a and above was 12 %. Vascular comorbidities were common with prevalence increasing steadily from stage 3a through stage 5. Only 55.6 % of stage 4 @entity740 @entity1 had claims for nephrology visits within one year of their index date. Fifty-nine percent of @entity1 had claims for renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers. Twenty-five percent of @entity1 in stage 3a @entity740 filled a prescription for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Fifty-two percent of @entity1 who developed @entity454 received their first dialysis treatment as inpatients. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of medical practice observed highlights apparent deficiencies in the care of @entity740 @entity1 including inappropriate medication use, delayed nephrology referral, and a lack of preparation for dialysis. This study shows the potential value of using large @entity1 databases available through insurers to assess and likely improve regional @entity740 care.

An observational study of the quality of care for XXXX : a Buffalo and Albany, New York metropolitan area study.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'patients', 'patient'] @entity1009 :: ('966', 'Gene') :: ['min/1'] @entity740 :: ('MESH:D051436', 'Disease') :: ['CKD', 'chronic kidney disease'] @entity454 :: ('MESH:D007676', 'Disease') :: ['end-stage renal disease']
@entity740 :: (MESH:D051436,Disease) :: ['chronic kidney disease']
