Reference
Core services at Centers of Excellence
To be a PKD Foundation Center of Excellence, a care center offers diagnostic and therapeutic services with identified staff responsible for most services in each of the following disciplines:
- Nephrology
- Radiology
- Nutrition
- Hepatology
- Genetics
- Pain management
- Patient navigation services
Non-core specialists
Non-core specialists available at some Centers of Excellence:
- Pediatric nephrologists
- Kidney nutritionists/dieticians
- Urologists
- Cardiologists
- Liver surgeons
- Neurosurgeons/neurologists
- Obstetricians (high-risk pregnancy specialization)
- Psychologists/psychiatrists
- Social workers
- Transplant surgeons
Patient Navigator
Under supervision of the Clinic Director, a patient navigator helps coordinate care for patients with ADPKD and their families and caregivers.
They work to:
- serve as the first point of contact for patients and families with ADPKD
- eliminate barriers to timely care
- facilitate flow through the system
- facilitate interactions with clinical research
- increase patient and provider satisfaction
- maintain point of contact with providers.
Services at Partner Clinics
PKD Foundation Partner Clinics include, at a minimum, a nephrologist interested in specialized management of ADPKD. Partner Clinics are part of the overall mentorship and educational network.
