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Dr. Rachel Burdick Fissell, MD

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Specializes in: Adult Nephrology and Organ Transplantation

University of Maryland School of Medicine (1996)

Professional interests include: chronic kidney disease (CKD), dialysis

1301 Medical Center Drive Suite 2501
Nashville, TN 37232

(615) 343-7592

Dr. Rachel Burdick Fissell, MD is a nephrologist in Nashville, TN specializing in adult nephrology and organ transplantation. She graduated from University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1996 and has 28 years of experience. Dr. Rachel Burdick Fissell, MD is affiliated with Vanderbilt Health and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC).

Office Locations

Address:

1161 21st Avenue S Mcn C-3119
Nashville, TN 37232

Address:

1301 Medical Center Drive Suite 2501
Nashville, TN 37232

Some issues Dr. Rachel Burdick Fissell, MD can help you with:

Dialysis

Dialysis is a procedure that replicates renal (kidney) function by filtering patients' blood. When kidneys do not work properly, waste can accumulate in the blood and unbalanced chemicals can impair the body's critical functions. In order to stay healthy, a person without proper kidney function must receive dialysis. There are two forms of dialysis treatment: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Both forms of dialysis are recurring treatments that in many cases last throughout the lifetime of the affected patient. Patients who briefly lose renal function may slowly reduce the frequency of dialysis sessions until their kidneys recover. However, most patients who start on dialysis remain on dialysis for the rest of their lives or until they receive a kidney transplant.

A number of conditions can worsen renal function and lead to end-stage or acute kidney failure. When kidneys fail (i.e. nearly 90 percent of their function is lost), dialysis is typically prescribed. Conditions that cause chronic kidney failure (eventually requiring dialysis) include:

Type 1 and 2 Diabetes
Pyelonephritis, recurring kidney infection
Glomerulonephritis, inflammation of the kidney's filtering parts
Polycystic kidney disease
Interstitial nephritis, inflammation of the kidney's tubules
High blood pressure
Vesicoureteral reflux, improper bladder emptying

For hemodialysis (the more common form of dialysis), a patient will visit a hospital or clinic and be connected to a dialysis machine by a needle attached to a tube that draws blood from the arm. The drawn blood is transferred to the dialysis machine, where it is filtered and separated until clean. Waste products from the blood pass into a fluid called dialysate, which is pumped out of the machine into a waste receptacle. The machine also measures and helps ensure the blood has the appropriate level of fluid, electrolytes, and pH. A tube delivers the cleaned blood back into the patient's body. A dialysis session like this will typically last for three to four hours, with a patient undergoing dialysis around three times per week.

A second method of dialysis is known as peritoneal dialysis. Unlike hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis can be performed at home by oneself after an initial surgery. To start, a physician (generally a surgeon) will make a small incision in the lower abdomen and insert and surgically attach a catheter (thin tube). At home, the patient connects a pump to the abdomen catheter, delivering dialysate (dialysis fluid) from a bag hanging on a wheeled stand. This fluid enters the peritoneal cavity (greater abdomen area containing the stomach, liver, and intestines) and collects waste through osmosis, where waste in the blood moves across a membrane and into the dialysate. This process continues for several hours until the fluid concentration is equal between the blood and dialysate, at which point the fluid can be drained. The fluid can then be passed through a machine called a cycler, which removes waste and allows for the dialysate to be reused. This process is repeated about four times per day. Dialysis patients must limit the amount of fluid they consume prior to receiving dialysis and should also avoid eating salty foods. The cycler cannot filter more than a certain amount of waste products from the blood.

Kidneys are important organs, and dialysis treatments are vital for those with renal dysfunction. For many, dialysis is not so much a medical procedure but a part of their normal life.

doctor visit	107

**Gender**
Male	51
Female	35

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	55
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	28
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	44

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	53
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	43
Depression	23
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	0
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	0
Heart Failure	29
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	20
Diabetes	45
Dementia	0
Cancer	0

dialysis	64
doctor visit	112
hospital care	62
inpatient care	62

**Gender**
Male	86
Female	49

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	80
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	47
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	63

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	58
Stroke	8
Ischemic Heart Disease	51
Depression	37
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	16
Heart Failure	44
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	19
Diabetes	52
Dementia	0
Cancer	10

dialysis	161
doctor visit	77
hospital care	160
inpatient care	160

**Gender**
Male	192
Female	162

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	190
Black	138
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	112
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	166

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	59
Stroke	12
Ischemic Heart Disease	57
Depression	36
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	19
Osteoperosis	7
Atrial Fibrilation	16
Heart Failure	53
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	24
Diabetes	58
Dementia	11
Cancer	12

dialysis	174
doctor visit	153
hospital care	233
inpatient care	233

**Gender**
Male	138
Female	88

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	133
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	71
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	111

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	59
Stroke	11
Ischemic Heart Disease	61
Depression	34
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	26
Osteoperosis	7
Atrial Fibrilation	14
Heart Failure	57
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	23
Diabetes	62
Dementia	19
Cancer	8

dialysis	173
doctor visit	114
hemofiltration	26
hospital care	409
inpatient care	409

**Gender**
Male	148
Female	111

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	174
Black	74
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	77
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	121

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	61
Stroke	9
Ischemic Heart Disease	66
Depression	33
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	7
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	20
Heart Failure	56
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	19
Diabetes	61
Dementia	16
Cancer	7

dialysis	478
doctor visit	63
hemofiltration	138
hospital care	789
inpatient care	789

**Gender**
Male	201
Female	154

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	210
Black	122
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	11
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	107
From 75 to 84	54
85 and over	13
Less than 65	181

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	65
Stroke	15
Ischemic Heart Disease	69
Depression	40
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	8
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	19
Heart Failure	63
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	23
Diabetes	59
Dementia	19
Cancer	10

dialysis	436
hemofiltration	108
hospital care	673
inpatient care	673

**Gender**
Male	164
Female	122

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	155
Black	107
Hispanic	0
Asian	12
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	85
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	151

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	66
Stroke	13
Ischemic Heart Disease	75
Depression	44
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	10
Osteoperosis	7
Atrial Fibrilation	21
Heart Failure	73
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	30
Diabetes	63
Dementia	25
Cancer	12

dialysis	375
hemofiltration	85
hospital care	621
inpatient care	621

**Gender**
Male	157
Female	99

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	143
Black	97
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	85
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	129

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	71
Stroke	12
Ischemic Heart Disease	75
Depression	39
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	13
Osteoperosis	6
Atrial Fibrilation	23
Heart Failure	73
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	29
Diabetes	70
Dementia	28
Cancer	11

dialysis	327
hemofiltration	92
hospital care	898
inpatient care	898

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2013 - 2021

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Rachel Burdick Fissell, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Rachel Burdick Fissell, MD treated as a nephrologist in Nashville, TN were hospital care, inpatient care, dialysis and hemofiltration.

dialysis	274
doctor visit	107
hemofiltration	90
hospital care	480
inpatient care	480

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2013 - 2021

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Rachel Burdick Fissell, MD.

**Gender**
Male	113
Female	82

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	53
Asian / Pacific Islander	1
Non-Hispanic White	114
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	0
Other	1

**Age**
75 to 84	5
85 and over	1
Less than 65	96
65 to 74	61

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Rachel Burdick Fissell, MD From 2013 - 2021

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Rachel Burdick Fissell, MD treated were chronic kidney disease, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and high cholesterol.

Hypertension	60
High Cholesterol	49
Stroke	8
Ischemic Heart Disease	49
Depression	28
Chronic Kidney Disease	60
Asthma	9
Osteoporosis	4
Heart Failure	44
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	18
Diabetes	47
Atrial Fibrillation	12
Cancer	7
Dementia	11

Education & Training

Dr. Rachel Burdick Fissell, MD graduated from University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1996. She has a state license in Michigan.

Medical School: University of Maryland School of Medicine (1996)

Licensed In: Michigan

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. Rachel Burdick Fissell, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

Vanderbilt Health

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC)

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Biography

Dr. Rachel Fissell is an organ transplantation and adult nephrology specialist in Nashville, TN. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. In Dr. Fissell's practice, she is particularly interested in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and dialysis. She is affiliated with Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC).