| Sumario: | Part of a special section on issues and advances in measuring and improving the quality of health care. In an attempt to evaluate and improve care provided to end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, health care providers, patients, the ESRD networks, and the Health Care Financing Administration have developed the ESRD Health Care Quality Improvement Program (HCQIP). The ESRD HCQIP currently concentrates on gathering information on quality indicators (QIs) for treatment of anemia, delivery of adequate dialysis, nutritional status, and blood pressure control for adult in-center hemodialysis patients. A national probability sample of ESRD patients was used to measure QIs, and interventions and assessments of these interventions are commencing. The ESRD HCQIP demonstrates a way in which to mobilize the strengths of the public and private sectors to attain enhanced care for special populations.
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