Accountable-care organizations are be-
coming more prominent in the United
States, and therefore health care systems in the
near future will be reimbursed on the basis of
their ability to care for patient populations rather
than individual patients. As a result, primary
care physicians will need to be well versed in the
care of patients with common chronic diseases
such as chronic kidney disease (CKD). By one
estimate, patients with CKD constitute 14% of
the US population age 20 and older, or more
than 31 million people.1
An earlier article in this