CROWNWeb--the evolution of kidney data management (Part I).

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is developing a Web-based application, Consolidated Renal Operations in a Web-Enabled Network (CROWNWeb), which is designed to facilitate data entry, updating, and retrieval for dialysis facilities nationwide. Part 1 of this three-part series outlines the history of end-stage renal disease and Medicare, and covers the rapid growth of ESRD data management as well as other events that require progression to an online data collection and management system.