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Background: Bending the cost curve in medical expenses is a high national priority. The relationship between cost and kidney allograft failure has not been fully investigated in the United States., Methods: Using Medicare claims from the United States Renal Data System, we determined costs for all adults with Medicare coverage who underwent kidney transplant January 1, 2007, to June 30, 2009. We compared relative cost (observed/expected payment) for year 1 after transplantation for all transplant centers, adjusting for recipient, donor, and transplant characteristics, region, and local wage index. Using program-specific reports from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, we correlated relative cost with observed/expected allograft failure between centers, excluding small centers., Results: Among 19,603 transplants at 166 centers, mean observed cost per patient per center was $65,366 (interquartile range, $55,094-$71,624). Mean relative cost was 0.99 (± 0.20); mean observed/expected allograft failure was 1.03 (± 0.46). Overall, there was no correlation between relative cost and observed/expected allograft failure (r = 0.096, P = 0.22). Comparing centers with higher than expected costs and allograft failure rates (lower performing) and centers with lower than expected costs and failure rates (higher-performing) showed differences in donor and recipient characteristics. As these characteristics were accounted for in the adjusted cost and allograft failure models, they are unlikely to explain the differences between higher- and lower-performing centers., Conclusions: Further investigations are needed to determine specific cost-effective practices of higher- and lower-performing centers to reduce costs and incidence of allograft failure.

Background: Few published data describe long-term survival of dialysis patients undergoing surgical versus percutaneous coronary revascularization in the era of drug-eluting stents (DES)., Methods and Results: Using United States Renal Data System data, we identified 23 033 dialysis patients who underwent coronary revascularization (6178 coronary artery bypass grafting, 5011 bare metal stents, 11 844 DES) from 2004 to 2009. Revascularization procedures decreased from 4347 in 2004 to 3344 in 2009. DES use decreased by 41% and bare metal stent use increased by 85% from 2006 to 2007. Long-term survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and independent predictors of mortality were examined in a comorbidity-adjusted Cox model. In-hospital mortality for coronary artery bypass grafting patients was 8.2%; all-cause survival at 1, 2, and 5 years was 70%, 57%, and 28%, respectively. In-hospital mortality for DES patients was 2.7%; 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival was 71%, 53%, and 24%, respectively. Independent predictors of mortality were similar in both cohorts: age >65 years, white race, dialysis duration, peritoneal dialysis, and congestive heart failure, but not diabetes mellitus. Survival was significantly higher for coronary artery bypass grafting patients who received internal mammary grafts (hazard ratio, 0.83; P<0.0001). The probability of repeat revascularization accounting for the competing risk of death was 18% with bare metal stents, 19% with DES, and 6% with coronary artery bypass grafting at 1 year., Conclusions: Among dialysis patients undergoing coronary revascularization, in-hospital mortality was higher after coronary artery bypass grafting, but long-term survival was superior with internal mammary grafts. In-hospital mortality was lower for DES patients, but the probability of repeat revascularization was higher and comparable to that in patients receiving a bare metal stent. Revascularization decisions for dialysis patients should be individualized.