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Dr. William H. Fissell IV, MD, BS

(1 Rating)

Specializes in: Adult Nephrology

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

1301 Medical Center Drive Suite 2501
Nashville, TN 37232

(615) 343-7592

Dr. William H. Fissell IV, MD, BS is a nephrologist in Nashville, TN specializing in adult nephrology. Dr. William H. Fissell IV, MD, BS is affiliated with Vanderbilt Health and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC).

Office Locations

Address:

1301 Medical Center Drive Suite 2501
Nashville, TN 37232

Address:

2213 Garland Avenue S3223 Mcn
Covington, TN 37237

Address:

3601 Tvc
Nashville, TN 37232

Some issues Dr. William H. Fissell IV, MD, BS 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.

In The News

“"I don't think we're pretending we're going to make something as good as a transplant," said Dr. William Fissell at Vanderbilt University, medical director of the artificial kidney project.”—"Kidney designers take cues from nature", SFGATE, April 2013

“"The exponentially increasing number of patients requiring dialysis -- a population that is growing 10% annually -- coupled with the crisis in heathcare funding in the U.S. is putting immense...”—"Kidney dialysis on the go", Los Angeles Times, November 2007

dialysis	24
hospital care	67
inpatient care	67

**Gender**
Male	24
Female	18

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	28
Black	14
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	11
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	20

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	67
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	67
Depression	43
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	0
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	0
Heart Failure	60
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	36
Diabetes	50
Dementia	0
Cancer	0

dialysis	30
hospital care	82
inpatient care	82

**Gender**
Male	29
Female	12

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	25
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	0
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	23

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	71
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	68
Depression	61
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	0
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	0
Heart Failure	68
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	32
Diabetes	68
Dementia	0
Cancer	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	73
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	75
Depression	59
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	0
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	0
Heart Failure	75
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	0
Diabetes	73
Dementia	0
Cancer	0

dialysis	56
doctor visit	39
hospital care	185
inpatient care	185

**Gender**
Male	92
Female	57

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	106
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	65
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	51

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	63
Stroke	10
Ischemic Heart Disease	66
Depression	30
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	26
Osteoperosis	7
Atrial Fibrilation	21
Heart Failure	60
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	25
Diabetes	56
Dementia	18
Cancer	10

dialysis	26
doctor visit	184
hospital care	54
inpatient care	54

**Gender**
Male	82
Female	48

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	103
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	53
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	38

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	55
Stroke	10
Ischemic Heart Disease	55
Depression	29
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	0
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	16
Heart Failure	42
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	21
Diabetes	58
Dementia	13
Cancer	0

doctor visit	169
hospital care	80
inpatient care	80

**Gender**
Male	81
Female	51

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	105
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	54
From 75 to 84	46
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	68
Stroke	8
Ischemic Heart Disease	55
Depression	23
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	0
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	17
Heart Failure	53
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	20
Diabetes	54
Dementia	17
Cancer	8

dialysis	15
doctor visit	164
hospital care	84
inpatient care	84

**Gender**
Male	85
Female	53

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	110
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	60
From 75 to 84	46
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	66
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	54
Depression	30
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	0
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	22
Heart Failure	47
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	22
Diabetes	51
Dementia	12
Cancer	9

dialysis	13
doctor visit	159
hospital care	118
inpatient care	118

**Gender**
Male	91
Female	51

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	115
Black	16
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	66
From 75 to 84	44
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	63
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	58
Depression	28
Chronic Kidney Disease	75
Asthma	11
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	20
Heart Failure	51
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	18
Diabetes	51
Dementia	13
Cancer	10

doctor visit	391
hospital care	114
inpatient care	114

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2013 - 2021

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. William H. Fissell IV, MD, BS for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. William H. Fissell IV, MD, BS treated as a nephrologist in Nashville, TN were hospital care, inpatient care and dialysis.

dialysis	27
doctor visit	186
hospital care	98
inpatient care	98

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2013 - 2021

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. William H. Fissell IV, MD, BS.

**Gender**
Male	48
Female	29

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	3
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	59
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	0
Other	0

**Age**
75 to 84	13
85 and over	0
Less than 65	13
65 to 74	30

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. William H. Fissell IV, MD, BS From 2013 - 2021

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

Hypertension	60
High Cholesterol	52
Stroke	2
Ischemic Heart Disease	49
Depression	30
Chronic Kidney Disease	60
Asthma	3
Osteoporosis	3
Heart Failure	45
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	17
Diabetes	46
Atrial Fibrillation	9
Cancer	3
Dementia	7

Education & Training

He has a state license in Ohio.

Licensed In: Ohio

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. William H. Fissell IV, MD, BS is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

Vanderbilt Health

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC)

Ratings & Reviews

Dr. William H. Fissell IV, MD, BS has an exceptional overall rating with an average of 4.9 out of 5 stars based on 1 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Dr. William H. Fissell IV, MD, BS from all over the web to help you find the right in Nashville, TN.

4.9

Overall Rating

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General Payments

These charts describe general payments received by Dr. William H. Fissell IV, MD, BS. Doctors may receive payments for a number of reasons, including meal compensation, travel compensation, and consulting.

**Payments by Company**
Baxter Healthcare	$5,009 Baxter $4,160	Renal - Research & Development $831	Renal - Nephral $18
Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc.	$20 LUPKYNIS $20

**Types of Payments**
Compensation for serving as faculty or as a speaker for a non-accredited and noncertified continuing education program	$4,060
Travel and Lodging	$831
Food and Beverage	$118
Education	$20

Research Payments

Dr. William H. Fissell IV, MD, BS has received 2 research payments totaling $116,126.

Biography

Dr. William Fissell sees patients in Nashville, TN and Covington, TN. His medical specialty is adult nephrology. In his practice, he is particularly interested in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and dialysis. He is professionally affiliated with Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC).