Custom Reporting and Data Analysis Group (CRDA)
The Custom Reporting and Data Analysis Group is responsible for data mining the vast stores of data maintained in the Fresenius Medical Care Knowledge Center. The Knowledge Center houses years of detailed clinical and operational data and is updated nightly. For the past decade, our database has provided clinical insights and answers to clinical queries for our medical staff and stakeholders such as CMS. In addition to serving as a resource for internal epidemiologic and quality improvement analyses, the Knowledge Center provides a rich database for external clients who have a need to analyze such data for specific information.
Review and approval processes ensure data extracts follow HIPAA and FDA regulations. Data extracts may be subject to other restrictions that apply to each data set requested.
Clinical Science, Epidemiology and Research Group
Analyzing the past to understand the present. See: Fresenius Medical Care North America Medical Literature Bibliography for 2000 - 2010
Clinical and epidemiological research in the dialysis environment requires specialized knowledge to:
- understand the patient population
- construct plausible hypotheses
- consider issues related to dialysis treatments that require protocol modifications
- consider the endpoints that are appropriate, measurable, and practical for the data analysis.
Our team of epidemiologists and biostatisticians utilize data from the Knowledge Center and from clinical trials involving our dialysis patients in hypothesis-driven research. We employ epidemiological principles and advanced statistical methods that minimize bias. Our biostatisticians are adept in routine parametric and nonparametric statistical tests, as well as sample size and power calculations for clinical studies.
We utilize correlation analyses, regression models, and survival analyses. We carefully build our models to adjust for appropriate risk factors, whether they are related to case-mix and demographic distributions, laboratory values, comorbid conditions, or other variables within our extensive database. Whenever appropriate, we apply time varying analyses, marginal structural models, propensity scores, and hierarchical models.
Because analyses of associations between predictor variables and clinical outcomes in this diverse population with multiple comorbidities often have unexpected results not consistent with the general population, having an experienced team is essential . We have the experience and expertise to accurately and comprehensively analyze any aspect of dialysis treatment. Some of the areas explored by our investigators and biostatisticians are:
- studies involving clinical variables and clinical outcomes
- defining best practices
- defining clinical problems
- exploring clinical targets
- elucidating outcomes associated with the use of certain clinical algorithms
- clinical processes/practices, medications
- new technologies
Our epidemiological studies have been published in the leading medical and nephrology journals over the past decade.