Seeing a nephrologist at the first signs of a kidney disorder can keep your kidneys healthy and functioning for as long as possible. Your nephrologist is there to guide you through decisions about protecting your health and treating your kidney issues. Finding the right nephrologist for you can be a journey. We have assembled a few tips to make the process a smooth one.
Get a referral
Talk to your primary care physician. You can also ask family, friends, and other health-care providers for recommendations. After you narrow your list, call each nephrologist’s office and ask for a consultation appointment to interview the doctor.
Do your homework.
Board certification is one of the most crucial factors when choosing a nephrologist. This tells you the doctor has the necessary training, skills, and experience to provide the appropriate care. When nephrologists are board-certified, they have gone beyond the minimal standards to be knowledgeable and effective in their field, as stated by the American Board of Physician Specialists. Additionally, you should confirm the nephrologist has no history of malpractice claims or disciplinary actions. To do this, find the nephrologist’s medical school, training hospital, and certifications on state websites.
Consider experience.
The more experience a nephrologist has with a condition or procedure, the better your results will likely be. Ask how many patients with your specific condition the nephrologist has treated. If you know you need a specific procedure, ask how many of the procedures the doctor has performed and learn about complication rates, the complications the doctor has encountered, and your own risk of complications.
Research the hospital.
Your doctor’s hospital is your hospital. For this reason, the quality of care at the hospital and dialysis center should be considered when the nephrologist can provide care. Hospital quality is important because patients at top-rated hospitals have fewer complications and better survival rates, according to Healthgrades. Additionally, consider whether the hospital’s location is important to you. Frequent tests, treatments, or follow-up visits may mean you need a convenient location.
Check patient satisfaction surveys.
Reading what other people have to say about a doctor can provide insight into how a doctor practices medicine, as well as how their medical practice is operated. Patient satisfaction surveys typically ask people about their experience with scheduling appointments, wait times, office environment, and office staff friendliness. This can help you learn about how much patients trust a specific doctor, how much time they spend with them, and how well the doctor answers questions.
Know what your insurance covers.
You may need to choose a nephrologist in your plan to receive the most insurance benefits and pay the least out-of-pocket. It is important to consider a nephrologist’s credentials, experience, outcomes, and hospital quality in your plan.
To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of the top African American nephrologists in the country in the Black Health Matters Nephrologist Guide. Is one near you?
1. Kirk Campbell, M.D.
Dr. Kirk Cambell is the Irene and Dr. Arthur M. Fishberg Professor of Medicine as well as the Professor of Pharmacological Sciences and the inaugural Director of the Mount Sinai Center for Kidney Disease Innovation in New York. Dr. Campbell is also the principal investigator (PI) of Mount Sinai’s Kidney Precision Project Recruitment Site. With all his experience, Dr. Campbell understands his patients’ challenges and works hard to provide effective healthcare.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029
(212) 241-6500
2. Olayiwola Ayodeji, M.D.
Nephrologist Olayiwola Ayodeji, M.D., directs the Clinical Research Program at Peninsula Kidney Associates. He has led the development of the Clinical Trials Program at Peninsula Kidney Associates and served as a principal investigator (PI) on many research trials. He is the Medical Director of Davita Newmarket Dialysis Center and the Davita Home Training Center. He is board-certified in nephrology and internal medicine.
Peninsula Kidney Associates
501 Butler Farm Road, Suite I, Hampton, Virginia 23666
(757) 251-7469
3. Paul W. Crawford, M.D.
Paul W. Crawford is a nephrologist and hypertension specialist in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Crawford is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago and Stritch School of Medicine, and he has been practicing for more than 40 years.
Associates in Nephrology
10801 S Western Ave, Suite 201, Chicago, Illinois 60643
(773) 770-4824
4. Crystal Gadegbeku, M.D.
A graduate of the University of Virginia, Crystal Gadegbeku, M.D., is a nephrology specialist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is affiliated with multiple hospitals and centers such as Temple University Hospital and Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Gadegbeku is the Chair of the Department of Nephrology in the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute of the Cleveland Clinic Health System. She has been involved in the National Institute of Health clinical and translational research. Dr. Gadegbeku’s areas of clinical interest include the management of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Temple University Department of Nephrology
3401 North Broad Street, Suite 100, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140
(215) 707-0744
5. Eddie Greene, M.D.
Mayo Clinic internist and nephrologist Eddie Green, M.D., treats chronic kidney disease, heart disease, and kidney cancer. His interests include chronic renal failure, cardiovascular disease in chronic renal failure, and renal cell cancer.
Mayo Clinic
200 1st St SW, Rochester, Minnesota 55905
(507) 284-2511
6. Susanne Nicholas, M.D.
Dr. Nicholas is board-certified in internal medicine and nephrology. She is a tenured Professor of Medicine and Clinical Hypertension Specialist in the Division of Nephrology. She chairs the Nephrology Racial and Health Equity Committee at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She has joint appointments in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, and the Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Policy.
UCLA Specialty/Endocrinology
200 UCLA Medical Plaza, Suite 565, Los Angeles, California 90095
310) 267-2555
7. Carmen Peralta, M.D.
Clinical investigator and association professor of medicine Carmen Peralta, M.D., is co-founder and executive director of the Kidney Health Research Collaborative. She is a leader in the epidemiology of kidney disease and hypertension. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, her research activity focuses on three areas: 1) approaches to improving care of people with kidney disease and reducing racial and ethnic disparities; 2) hypertension, arterial stiffness, and kidney disease; and 3) biomarkers for detection, classification, and risk of early kidney disease.
University of California San Francisco School of Medicine
1600 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, California 94115
(415) 476-2173
8. Neil Powe, M.D.
A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Neal Powe, M.D., is head of the University of California San Francisco Medicine Service at the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. This is one of the leading medicine departments in a public hospital with strong basic, clinical, and health services research programs focused on major diseases affecting diverse patients locally, nationally, and globally. His primary intellectual pursuits involve kidney disease patient-oriented research, epidemiology, and outcomes and effectiveness research.
University of California San Francisco School of Medicine
1001 Potrero Avenue, Room 5F39, San Francisco, California 94110
(628) 206-3465
9. Crystal Tyson, M.D.
Located in Durham, North Carolina, Crystal Tyson, M.D., specializes in nephrology and renal medicine. Dr. Tyson’s clinical focus is to slow the progression of chronic kidney disease and reduce complications from cardiovascular disease with lifestyle modification. She enjoys building relationships with her patients and collaborating with them on how they can best accomplish their health goals.
Duke Nephrology South Durham
Duke Health Center
234 Crooked Creek Parkway, Suite 400, Durham, North Carolina 27713
(919) 620-5300
10. Clenton Coleman, M.D.
Located in Teaneck, New Jersey, Clenton Coleman M.D. specializes in Internal Medicine and Nephrology. Dr. Coleman treats conditions including hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease, acute kidney injury, and proteinuria. Dr. Coleman has worked hard to build his practice and uses his expertise to help his patients live longer and fuller lives effectively.
Holy Name Physicians
222 Cedar Ln Ste 109,
Teaneck, NJ 07666 (201) 379-5650
By following the tips we have provided, you will be closer to finding a nephrologist that is perfect for you. We hope that the Black Health Matters Nephrologist Guide will be helpful as you navigate the management of your kidney health.
