Kidney Epidemiology and Cost Center (KECC)

The mission of the Kidney Epidemiology and Cost Center is to promote health, improve clinical practice and patient outcomes, optimize resource utilization, and inform public policy regarding organ failure and organ transplantation; this mission is pursued through high quality research, advances in biostatistics, and post-graduate education and training.

KECC is an interdisciplinary research group located at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health. Founded in 1993, KECC carries out research in epidemiology, public policy, economics, outcomes relating to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), chronic kidney disease, kidney dialysis, and organ transplantation. KECC’s research involves statistical analysis of large data sets drawn from clinical and administrative data systems, and a number of projects also involve primary data collection. KECC maintains a comprehensive historical database of about 3.1 million ESRD patients drawn primarily from Medicare data, prepares extensive facility-specific reports for the 6000 dialysis facilities in the U.S., and provides support for other University projects using Medicare claims data.