UW Health Kidney specialists (or Nephrologists) provide a complete range of consultative, diagnostic and treatment services for patients with kidney diseases. The scope of care encompasses all stages of kidney disease, from earliest detectable changes in kidney function through end-stage kidney disease, as well as people with high blood pressure, kidney stones, and other kidney-related problems.

Activities:

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) - patients with the chronic kidney disease, ranging from the first detectable changes in kidney function through end-stage kidney disease, are evaluated. Their care is managed by a team of kidney doctors, nurses, dieticians, and social workers, to effectively diagnose and treat disease, with an emphasis on prevention of disease progression and aggressive early management of the complications of CKD.

End-Stage Kidney Disease (or end-stage renal disease - ESRD) - patients with end-stage kidney disease who require replacement of their kidney function are followed and treated appropriately. In-center hemodialysis, home hemodialysis, and home peritoneal dialysis are options for end-stage therapy.

High blood pressure - patients with high blood pressure are evaluated for secondary causes of their elevated blood pressure. Treatment and long-term management of high blood pressure and the complications associated with it are followed. A multi-disciplinary clinic staffed by Nephrologists (kidney doctors), Endocrinologists (hormone/gland doctors), and Cardiologists (heart doctors) is held at the UW Health Kidney clinic site in Fitchburg.

Solid Organ Transplantation - The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a world-renowned center for solid organ transplantation The UW-Madison consistently ranks as one of the best transplant programs in the country for kidney and kidney-pancreas transplantation. Kidney transplant doctors provide acute inpatient care and long-term outpatient care for kidney and kidney-pancreas transplant recipients. They also help in the care of heart, lung, and liver transplant recipients who have chronic kidney disease.

Kidney Stone Disease - working in conjunction with the Department of Urology, the UW-Madison Section of Nephrology provides consultation and long-term management and follow-up of kidney stone disease, including a wide-range of acquired and inherited metabolic disorders.

Other kidney related problems - complicated fluid, electrolyte, and disorders are diagnosed and managed in the outpatient kidney clinics by members of the UW-Madison Section of Nephrology.

Locations:

University of Wisconsin Hospital - UW Hospital and Clinics has long been recognized as a national leader in many specialized fields of medicine, including cancer treatment, pediatrics, ophthalmology, surgical specialties and organ transplantation. The hospital is frequently sited in publications rating the nation's best medical facilities.

Services at UW Hospital and Clinics are comprehensive and wide-ranging. The 478-bed hospital has more than 600 active medical staff who annually care for more than 20,000 inpatients from throughout Wisconsin and around the world. More than 100 primary care and specialty clinics handle more than 400,000 outpatient visits yearly.

William S. Middleton VA Hospital - The William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital is an acute care facility providing comprehensive tertiary care in medicine, surgery, neurology, and psychiatry. Approximately 840 professional, administrative, and support personnel provide a wide range of services to the more than 22,000 veterans treated annually, either as inpatients or outpatients. The hospital is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin's School of Medicine and Public Health and Hospital. The two institutions share many resources, including nuclear medicine, angiography, autopsy, and radiation therapy programs. The UW Section of Nephrology provides the full range of kidney disease care, including dialysis, for patients admitted to the VA with acute or chronic kidney disease.

Meriter Hospital - Meriter Hospital is a not-for-profit, 448-bed community hospital that provides care in all major medical specialties. More than 430 active and associate physicians in over 30 medical specialties practice at Meriter Hospital. UW Health Physicians is a major physician group at Meriter. The UW-Madison Section of Nephrology provides care for patients with acute and chronic kidney disease at Meriter Hospital, and directs all of the inpatient dialysis services at Meriter.

UW Health Kidney Clinic - located at 3034 Fish Hatchery Road in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, The UW Health Kidney Clinic, staffed by members of the UW-Madison Section of Nephrology, provides the full range of outpatient services for general and specialty Nephrology, including consultative Nephrology, blood pressure treatment, and chronic kidney disease care.

Wisconsin Dialysis, Incorporated - a not-for-profit corporation formed in 2002 by UW Hospital and Clinics, UW Medical Foundation, and Meriter Hospital, provides dialysis services for people with end-stage kidney disease, including in-center hemodialysis, home hemodialysis, and peritoneal dialysis, at sites in its Fitchburg, Wisconsin clinic and at 4600 American Parkway (near I-90 and Highway 151) on Madison's east side.

For additional information, visit the UW Health Nephrology website.