Improving Outcomes for Hemodialysis Patients

End stage renal disease (ESRD) affects approximately 700,000 Americans of which approximately 400,000 are on life-saving hemodialysis therapy. Hemodialysis can take a physical and emotional toll on patients, and most patients on hemodialysis describe poor quality of life. Patients on hemodialysis have worse health related quality of life (HrQOL) than patients with any other chronic illness including cancer and congestive heart failure. This poor quality of life can affect how well these patients manage their own health or their self-care, and can ultimately lead to poor health outcomes. Despite this, there are no commonly used programs to improve quality of life or self-care for patients on hemodialysis. The investigators have developed a simple 3-step program to improve quality of life and self-care for patients on hemodialysis. The first step involves presenting quality of life scores to the dialysis health care team so that a program can be designed. The second step involves 8-12 education sessions combined with behavioral training designed to improve quality of life and self-care. The final step is monthly re-evaluation of progress. In this study, the investigators will test this 3-step program, compared to dialysis education alone, to see if it improves quality of life and self-care. By improving quality of life and self-care the investigators believe patient outcomes including hospitalizations will improve.