Value-based models of kidney care are upstream expansions of the pre-existing end-stage renal disease (ESRD) payment models in that they encompass medical care of persons with far-advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) not yet on dialysis. These patient-centered models are paradigm shifting because they provide rewards, including financial incentives for delaying dialysis initiation in patients with late-stage (Stages 4 and 5) CKD when the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is below 30 mL/min/1.73 m2, which is in sharp contradistinction to traditional ESRD models of earlier dialysis therapy transition.