Hannah Bracamonte, Author at Dialysis Patient Citizens

DPC Comments on Annual Medicare ESRD Rule

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:38+00:00August 29th, 2018|Categories: Comment Letter, Innovation, Quality Incentive Program|

Dialysis Patient Citizens sent its comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expressing concerns and providing feedback on its End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System and Quality Incentive Program proposed payment rule (CMS-1691-P). The letter was informed by results from Dialysis Patient Citizen’s 2018 membership survey and focused on the following areas: Quality incentive program and the meaningful measures framework Transitional drug add-on payment adjustment and payments to reward innovation Request for information on price transparency Our hope is that by addressing these important topics, CMS will make amendments to the rule that will ultimately lead [...]

DPC Supports Improved Access to Private Insurance for Patients
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DPC Supports Improved Access to Private Insurance for Patients

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:38+00:00August 22nd, 2018|Categories: Access to Transplant, Article, Comment Letter, Dental Coverage, Private Insurance Coverage|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

Currently, dialysis patients are restricted to 30 months on private insurance coverage before having to go into Medicare. The House of Representatives recently proposed extending this length of time by three months, which is estimated to save Medicare $344 million. Access to private insurance is critical for dialysis patients, and we are very appreciative of the House’s efforts to improve that access. Read our letter below in support of this proposal: Dear Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Chairman Hatch, and Ranking Member Wyden: As America’s largest patient-led kidney disease organization representing over 30,000 dialysis patients and family members, Dialysis Patient [...]

Action Needed for Potential Senate Bill 1156 Vote on Monday

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:38+00:00August 15th, 2018|Categories: Article, Charitable Premium Assistance, Dialysis Funding, State Advocacy, Take Action|

Dialysis Patient Citizens is requesting your support of kidney failure patients by urging your legislator to oppose Senate Bill 1156 (Leyva). If this bill is enacted into law, many dialysis facilities will face potential closure leaving patients to: Scramble to find new dialysis facilities for their treatment 3 times a week and Potentially travel much farther to receive their life-saving treatments Your support is critical in ensuring lawmakers are educated and reminded about the struggles patients with kidney disease will face if this bill is passed. The full California Assembly could vote on this measure as early as Monday. Help [...]

Elevate the Voice of Patients with Kidney Disease
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Elevate the Voice of Patients with Kidney Disease

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:38+00:00July 27th, 2018|Categories: Article, Get Involved|

Our 2018 Annual Membership Survey is live, and it will remain open until Friday, August 10. This survey takes your input as a patient with kidney disease and helps to shape our public policy agenda and patient education priorities for the next year. In addition to determining Dialysis Patient Citizen's priorities, we regularly communicate survey results to state and federal level policy makers, so they will better understand your needs, experiences, and preferences. As a result, your feedback is crucial. Therefore, this year we will be awarding $100 gift certificates to 10 randomly selected survey participants. We hope you will take a [...]

California Lawmakers Considering Bill That Would Close Dialysis Centers
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California Lawmakers Considering Bill That Would Close Dialysis Centers

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:38+00:00July 19th, 2018|Categories: Article, Dialysis Funding, State Advocacy|

State legislators in California continue to consider legislation, which we believe would harm dialysis patients by ultimately limiting their access to their life-saving treatment. This legislation, which is being pushed by the labor union, Service Employees International Union, would cut reimbursement rates for patients on private insurance to Medicare/Medi-Cal levels, which are already below the actual cost of care. This will cause many facilities across California to close and leave patients scrambling to find their needed care. Last month, we were able to get almost 16,000 people in California to reach out to their state legislator in opposition to this proposal [...]

Annual Medicare ESRD Rule Highlights Innovation and “Meaningful Measures”
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Annual Medicare ESRD Rule Highlights Innovation and “Meaningful Measures”

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:39+00:00July 16th, 2018|Categories: Article, Innovation, Quality Incentive Program|

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed what they called “innovative changes” to the payment rule for the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program. The rule includes a “proposal to address new renal dialysis drug and biological costs and foster innovations in treatment by incentivizing new therapies for patients on dialysis and a proposal to reduce facility-related documentation burden.” It contains the first changes to the ESRD Quality Incentive Program (QIP) since last year’s announcement of CMS’ “Meaningful Measures” Initiative. Funding for Dialysis The proposed 2019 ESRD base rate is $235.82, an increase of $3.45 to the current [...]

Researchers and Journalists Call Out Poorly Performing Organ Procurement Organizations
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Researchers and Journalists Call Out Poorly Performing Organ Procurement Organizations

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:39+00:00July 16th, 2018|Categories: Access to Transplant, Article|

Recent research and journalism has highlighted significant variations in the ability of regional Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) to obtain donor organs for transplants. An analysis by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania rated 35 of 58 OPOs, and identified the best performers among them the OPOs serving Utah and Southern Idaho; Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware; the Finger Lakes region of New York; Wisconsin; and Nebraska. The poorest performing were those serving the New York City region; Southern California; Kentucky; and North Carolina. The New York City OPO’s poor performance was highlighted in a New York Times article last week. [...]

Facts About the Dialysis De-Funding Campaign in California

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:39+00:00April 26th, 2018|Categories: Charitable Premium Assistance, Dialysis Funding, State Advocacy|

The Dialysis De-Funding Campaign is sponsored by two labor unions that seek to represent workers at dialysis clinics. Rather than try to unionize dialysis facility employees through elections, they are trying to punish dialysis providers through policies that cost them financially in order to gain voluntary recognition. The three cutback proposals are likely to affect access to care by leading to facility closures, restricting access to private insurance, and decreasing services available from facilities. The Dialysis De-Funding Campaign consists of three measures: Senate Bill 349: Regulates staffing and patient shifts at dialysis clinics. If requirements are not met because a worker [...]

Media Coverage Increases on Kidney Health
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Media Coverage Increases on Kidney Health

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:39+00:00April 10th, 2018|Categories: Article, Care Coordination|

Kidney Month has passed yet the coverage on kidney health is continuing well into April. DPC is pleased to report the publication of several letters to the editor in response to our advocacy day in support of the Dialysis PATIENTS Act. Our advocates have been published in the states of Washington, Alabama, Kansas and New Hampshire with many more pending publication. This continued media coverage is a great step toward moving this legislation across the finish line to help countless dialysis patients across the country. Andrew Conkling – AL: http://www.thearabtribune.com/mountain_views/writer-urges-congress-to-support-legislation/article_788c24ca-377c-11e8-9817-970f8e059ab5.html Adrian Miller – WA: http://www.columbian.com/news/2018/apr/03/letter-focus-care-upon-patients/ Pius Murray – NH: http://www.fosters.com/news/20180405/to-editor-support-for-dialysis-patients-act Mike Guffey – KS: https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article208195579.html [...]

Kidney Month Wrap Up

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:39+00:00April 10th, 2018|Categories: Article, What is Kidney Disease?|

This year World Kidney Day was also on International Women’s day. Global organizers took this as an opportunity to focus on women’s health and kidney disease. It’s only appropriate that we feature three courageous women who shared their story with media to spread awareness of kidney disease. Joyce Lane from Tennessee shared her story of living with Bright’s disease, also known as glomerulonephritis, a condition where the kidney’s glomeruli (filters) are damaged and unable to adequately clean waste from the blood. This condition is inherited and Joyce is one of seven members in her family to be afflicted. Joyce and [...]

About Hannah Bracamonte

Dialysis Patient Citizens

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