Spanning organizational boundaries to improve care and service: inpatient and outpatient chronic peritoneal dialysis

The University of Michigan Health Systems (UMHS), an academic, tertiary care health system, provides chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) along an inpatient-outpatient continuum that gives patients access to an integrated system of settings, services, and care levels. An evaluation of key indicators was conducted to determine the quality of PD services as chronic dialysis clients were admitted to one UMHS inpatient unit. The challenge of matching the chronic PD patient's needs with the appropriate level of care along the health care continuum was addressed. This information presents an effective way to use quality data to improve PD care practices and patient outcomes.