The China Health Insurance Research Association (CHIRA) database was initiated by the China Health Insurance Research Association in 2007. In 2017, the CK-NET Working Group was authorized to utilize the CHIRA database to conduct research on burden of insured patients receiving dialysis. Information on every hospital visit and medical service claim was recorded in this database. Primary diagnosis, patient demographics, frequency of laboratory tests, prescription drugs, operation procedures and medical expenditures were also recorded. A two-stage sampling design was used to draw this national sample of the urban basic medical insurance beneficiaries in 30 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government (excluding Ningxia, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan).

With the support of China Health Insurance Research Association, CK-NET Work Group comprehensively described the disease burden of end-stage kidney disease in China, through analysis of prevalence and characteristics of dialysis patients in the CHIRA database. Relevant results can be found in the section of “End-stage kidney disease” in 2015 CK-NET Annual Data Report. In the future, CK-NET will continue to cooperate with China Health Insurance Research Association to conduct series of studies on burden of chronic kidney disease (including end-stage kidney disease) in China based on basic medical insurance data.