Research Library

By Kevin F. Erickson, Bo Zhao, Jingbo Niu, Wolfgang C. Winkelmayer, Jay Bhattacharya, Glenn M. Chertow and Vivian Ho The acquisition of independently owned dialysis facilities by facility chains lead to slower decreases in mortality and hospitalization rates, write the authors. JAMA Network Open: https://bit.ly/2WPYGSD

By tracking the math scores and earnings of adults who were in-utero during Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, the authors were able to identify some of the consequences of prenatal malnutrition and stress.

U.S. studies suggest that the Uber ride-sharing service may reduce alcohol-related driving fatalities. This study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, examines the effect of Uber on traffic deaths in South Africa, where driving fatalities are twice the global average and over 60 percent are alcohol-related.

By Eugene Lin, Matthew W. Mell, Wolfgang C. Winkelmayer and Kevin F. Erickson U.S. patients without Medicare who develop end-stage kidney disease become Medicare eligible by their fourth dialysis month. This delay in insurance coverage can lead to disparities in health care that may not fully correct over time, write the authors in the Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology: https://bit.ly/2SEW20u

The policy and regulatory frameworks for hydraulic fracturing in Texas and Spain are examined to determine the possible trade-offs between water security and energy security. Environmental Science & Policy: https://bit.ly/2NMr9WY.

Federal mandates have affected nearly all areas of dialysis care delivery. Nonresident scholar Kevin F. Erickson and Wolfgang C. Winkelmayer evaluate the evidence behind two prior federal mandates to assess how the quality of evidence supporting each policy contributed to its overall success.

In a study published by JAMA Internal Medicine, nonresident scholar Kevin Erickson — an assistant professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine — and his co-authors examined associations between dialysis facility performance and patient experience measures as well as patient, facility and geographic characteristics:

By Kevin Erickson, Wolfgang C. Winkelmayer, Vivian Ho, Jay Bhattacharya, and Glenn M. Chertow The authors investigate if dialysis facility consolidation was associated with patient mortality. They find that decreased market competition for these facilities may have led to increased mortality for patients in areas with very few dialysis centers. Read this article in Value in Health at: https://bit.ly/2LXmTUR.

This study examines whether market competition affects quality of care and health outcomes among patients receiving dialysis treatment.

Nonresident scholar Kevin Erickson is a co-author of a study that examined trends in employment among patients initiating dialysis and in the six months before end stage renal disease.