Table 5.

Comparison of government-funded LC and an urban care center

	LC	Regional Center Linked to LC	Urban Full-Care Center
Proportion of funding	45% (nonspecific supplies and staff)	55% (dialysis-specific supplies)	100%
Patient type	Stabilized chronic only		Any
Treatment type	Only scheduled chronic treatment; no acute or urgent	For urgent treatments, on the basis of phone consultation, managed conservatively, or transferred to Winnipeg	Chronic and acute or urgent
Staff	MRP-trained nurses	Senior dialysis nurse Pharmacy/social work/dietary support linked to the LC	MRP-trained nurses Pharmacy/social work/dietary support
Medical	Onsite general physician	Nephrologist	Nephrologist only
Model of care	Primary and emergency care	Weekly phone rounds to review faxed treatment, lab, drug flow sheets, and intercurrent problems	Weekly walk rounds and onsite coverage
Medical record	MRP dialysis record with flow sheets identical to urban full care	Shadow chart with faxed flow sheets and informal documentation of weekly phone rounds	MRP dialysis record
Vascular access (and other tertiary care support including allied health)	Organized with regional site and typically provided by urban tertiary care unit	Organizes various support activities	Available onsite