CMS finalizes ESRD Treatment Choices model, estimates $23 million in savings
CMS released the final version of its ESRD Treatment Choices payment model today, aimed at incentivizing dialysis providers to place more patients with end-stage renal disease on home dialysis or refer them for a kidney transplant. “President Trump is tackling a longstanding problem for people with kidney disease because they deserve better than a system…
CMS approves chronic kidney disease payment model
CMS on Friday unveiled its alternative payment model for patients with chronic kidney disease. The End-Stage Renal Disease ESRD Treatment Choices—ETC—model encourages increased home dialysis use and kidney transplants. According to the agency, it will affect nearly a third of kidney care providers and save the federal government about $23 million over five and a half years….
Statement by Kidney Care Partners on The ESRD Treatment Choices (ETC) Model
Kidney Care Partners (KCP) is carefully reviewing the release of the ESRD Treatment Choices Model today as a final rule, and we will provide a more detailed response following that review process. KCP thanks the Administration for its continued efforts to improve kidney care quality and care delivery to our nation’s most vulnerable Medicare population…
CMS Finalizes Models To Address Chronic Kidney Disease, Cancer
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that two new care models to address chronic kidney disease and cancer were finalized Friday morning. The End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Treatment Choices (ETC) Model aims to increase the usage of home dialysis and kidney transplants, with Medicare payments shifting from fee-for-service payments to value-based care…
New CMS Payment Model for Kidney Care Could Boost Telehealth Use
Federal officials have unveiled a new treatment model for patients living with kidney disease that could boost interest in telehealth and remote patient monitoring programs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Treatment Choices (ETC) Model aims to shift from the traditional Medicare fee-for-service format to one that incentivizes providers to…
Medicare Proposes Payment Changes to Increase At-Home Dialysis Services for End-Stage Renal Disease Patients in a Trend That Shifts Where These Patients Access Clinical Laboratory Tests
In pursuing the goal of better, more proactive care, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed changing Medicare payments for dialysis to encourage more at-home dialysis services. The initiative confirms that CMS will be steadfast in its efforts to identify high-cost diseases and sites of care, and to direct that care into…
Administration Offers Progress Report on Kidney Care Initiative
HHS on Monday offered a progress report on its yearlong initiative, Advancing American Kidney Health, which sought to reduce the risk of kidney failure, increase access to home-based dialysis, and boost availability of kidney transplants. Click here to read the full article on the American Journal of Managed Care website.
Does Medicare Support Coordinated Care for Those on Dialysis? Actions Speak Louder than Words
For years, our nation’s policymakers and elected officials have focused tremendous efforts toward transforming health care into a value-based system, one that tackles health disparities through coordinated care services. In fact, CMS Administrator Seema Verma recently found Medicare’s fee-for-service system “insufficient” and called for increased urgency to create a system that focuses on the total person and…
Under New Rule, MA Plans Can Keep a Blindfold on Dialysis Facility Choice for Individuals With Kidney Failure
Patient choice has always been the cornerstone of my beliefs. In 2016, Congress decided that people who are eligible for Medicare due to a diagnosis of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) would become eligible to enroll in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans beginning January 1, 2021. MA is an option under Medicare to receive coverage through a private…
CMS rule makes it more difficult for dialysis patients to access care
Americans living with chronic diseases often face discriminatory practices by health plans, making it difficult to access care. This is particularly true for those living with kidney failure, or end-stage renal disease. The kidney community celebrated passage of the 2016 21st Century Cures Act, which allowed for both newly diagnosed and existing ESRD patients to…