Kidney Care Partners Asks CMS to Delay, Revise 5-Star Rating System for Dialysis Facilities
Published by Nephrology News & Issues August 13, 2014 Kidney Care Partners, a coalition of patient advocates, clinicians, care professionals, dialysis providers, researchers and manufacturers, is calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to delay implementation of the five-star rating system and work with the community to provide useful, meaningful, and accurate ratings…
Kidney Patients Join Industry In Opposing CMS’ Dialysis Star Rating System
Published by Inside Health Policy John Wilkerson August 8, 2014 Kidney patients have joined the fight against the Medicare star-rating program for dialysis facilities, and they’re making the same arguments as industry. Patient advocates say that the bell curve nature of the program will confuse patients, especially those in poor areas; the program is inconsistent…
Dialysis Patient Citizens Critical of Dialysis Facility Compare’s Five-Star Rating System
Nephrology News & Issues August 7, 2014 In a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, Dialysis Patient Citizens expressed concern about the implementation of Dialysis Facility Compare’s new five-star rating system. “We applaud CMS’ well-intentioned efforts to try to simplify Dialysis Facility Compare (DFC) for consumers,…
Bipartisan Legislation Built With Quality Patient Care in Mind
Published by Roll Call LaVarne Burton, Lori Hartwell, Hrant Jamgochian and Bruce Skyer August 6, 2014 Although Americans might struggle to find consensus on many policy issues related to health care, when faced with a serious health issue we unite behind the common goal of helping those living with it. Policymakers, health officials and the…
DaVita Lobbies Against Dialysis Star-Rating Program’s Bell Curve, Measures
Published by Inside Health Policy John Wilkerson August 4, 2014 Chain dialysis company DaVita was taken by surprise when CMS recently introduced a star-rating program for dialysis facilities, and the company is urging the agency to make major changes to the program, which takes effect in October. DaVita executives said they support programs that rate…
Dialysis 5-Star Rating: The Curse of the Bell Curve
Published by Acumen Terry Ketchersid July 28, 2014 Readers of this blog are no doubt familiar with the complexities of providing medical care to patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). This patient population suffers with significant comorbidity and requires substantial medical attention. Within this context, these vulnerable patients consume a relatively large proportion of…
Dear Colleagues: Co-Sponsor the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2014
Published by Rep. Tom Marino & Rep. John Lewis July 18, 2014 Dear Colleagues, We invite you to join us as cosponsors of H.R. 4814, the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2014. This legislation would advance research and treatment options related to chronic kidney disease. Today more than one in…
Renal Support Network Statement Re: H.R. 4814—The Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2014
I am the founder and president of the Renal Support Network (RSN). I have had kidney disease since 1968; I spent 13 years on dialysis and have received four kidney transplants. I am very grateful for the Medicare program as it has saved my life and the lives of countless people who have kidney disease….
Kidney Care Partners Expresses Concern About Proposed Rule for ESRD Payments
Published by Nephrology News July 7, 2014 Kidney Care Partners said they are concerned that a combination of flat payments and increased regulatory pressures proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may negatively impact stability and affect quality of care in Medicare’s end-stage renal disease program. KCP is a coalition of kidney patient…
Medicare ESRD Payments To Be Flat in 2015
Published by MedPage Today Joyce Frieden July 7, 2014 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plans to keep payments for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) care virtually flat in 2015. In its proposed rule CMS said it would increase total payments to all ESRD facilities in 2015 by an estimated 0.3% compared with 2014. However,…