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Nephrology

Kidney Center Provides Full Range of Leading-Edge Care

Patients with chronic kidney disease due to causes such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension or polycystic kidney disease benefit from the comprehensive, convenient care by a multidisciplinary team at the University of Virginia Health System’s Kidney Center.
The prevalence of kidney disease, especially chronic kidney disease, is increasing, with an estimated 20 million to 40 million Americans having some form of chronic kidney disease.
“For the most part, this disease can only be detected by blood tests of kidney function or urinalysis. Screening tests performed by primary care physicians, especially in high-risk patients, are very important. If we see patients early in the course of their kidney disease, we could prevent dialysis or delay the onset of dialysis in many cases,” says Mark Okusa, M.D., UVA’s Chief of Nephrology.
New patients at UVA are seen within 48 hours of a referral, and referring physicians receive treatment recommendations within 24 hours after a patient visit.

UVA Nephrologists: Experience and Expertise

Three UVA nephrologists – Okusa, W. Kline Bolton, M.D., and Mitchell Rosner, M.D. – have been chosen as among the Best Doctors in America®. UVA nephrologists are also national leaders in setting practice guidelines for treating kidney disease. Bolton chaired a national committee that set guidelines on the appropriate preparation for renal replacement, while Okusa chairs an advisory committee on acute kidney injury for the American Society of Nephrology.
“We have some of the leading experts in the country, and we cover a broad spectrum of disease,” he says.

Complete Services

UVA provides care across the continuum of kidney disease, from preventing progression of kidney disease to dialysis and transplantation if needed. UVA also provides medical therapy that many treatment centers don’t offer, Bolton says, including intravenous iron therapy and erythropoietin shots.
UVA’s nephrologists also work closely with other specialists to treat or prevent complications from kidney disease. For instance, Rosner says, polycystic kidney disease is a multisystem disease that can affect the liver, heart and gastrointestinal tract. Patients at UVA can access specialists in several areas for PKD complications, including cardiology, neurosurgery, hepatology and genetic counseling.
Preventing cardiovascular disease is also a focus at UVA’s Kidney Center, Bolton says. Kidney disease greatly increases a patient’s risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, he adds, and patients with kidney disease are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than to need dialysis.

Convenient Treatment and Referrals

All Kidney Center services – physicians, social workers, ultrasound, clinics and clinical trials – are located on the same floor of the West Complex at the UVA Health System.
“We’ve centralized care so that patients don’t have to go so many times to so many different places,” Bolton says.
Satellite locations also make it easier to access treatment. UVA operates a kidney clinic and dialysis center at Augusta Medical Center as well as dialysis centers at Zion Crossroads, Orange, Stanley, Amherst, Lynchburg and Altavista.
As part of UVA’s new Rapid Access Kidney Service, new referrals for kidney disease evaluation will be seen within 24 to 48 hours. An assessment and treatment recommendation will be made to referring physicians through a physician-to-physician phone call within 24 hours after their patient is seen.

To refer a patient for kidney disease treatment, call UVA Physician Direct at 800.552.3723.