Increase Quality of Care Archives - Page 12 of 16

DPC’s Request for Correction complaint to CMS Regarding DFC Star Ratings

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:34+00:00December 2nd, 2014|Categories: 5-Star Ratings, Comment Letter|

Attached is CCSQ’s courtesy copy of the Request for Correction we filed today under the Data Quality Act challenging the methodology to be used in the DFC Star Ratings. The Data Quality Act and the HHS Information Quality Guidelines promulgated pursuant to the Act have been in existence for approximately as long as CMS has collected and reported quality measures. Over the past decade, no stakeholder has ever filed a Request for Correction with CMS pertaining to quality measurements. We take no joy in being the first, but we feel that the circumstances surrounding the formulation of this program—the lack of [...]

New Dialysis Quality Rules May Bring Small but Noticeable Changes to Your Care

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:35+00:00November 13th, 2014|Categories: Article, Quality Incentive Program|

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently finalized the payment rule for the Medicare End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program for 2015. Payment rates will stay the same next year. However, changes to the Quality Improvement Program (QIP) system of "pay for performance" are intended to prioritize new aspects of care for ESRD patients; providers are graded on each element of the "QIP" and receive payment reductions if they don't meet Medicare's standard. This means that providers are expected to add emphasis to these new areas in their interactions with patients. Here are some of the new areas being [...]

CMS Responses to Questions and Comments about the Dialysis Facility Compare Star Rating System

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:35+00:00October 1st, 2014|Categories: 5-Star Ratings, Comment Letter|

CMS thanks the community for their comments and questions about the DFC Star Rating System. All comments have been given serious consideration. This document provides responses to the questions and issues raised by the ESRD community. CMS believes that the Star Rating System will empower consumers with additional quality information. It will also encourage providers to continuously achieve higher quality care. With future releases and enhancements to the DFC website, we will continue fostering an open dialogue to facilitate providing better care for all patients receiving chronic dialysis. We look forward to working with the ESRD community over the coming months [...]

Statement of Dialysis Patient Citizens on CMS Announcement of Delay in Implementing Star Ratings for Dialysis Facility Compare Website

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:04+00:00September 10th, 2014|Categories: 5-Star Ratings, Article|

Today, Dialysis Patient Citizens received a notice from CMS announcing a three-month delay in implementing its Star Ratings Program for the Dialysis Facility Compare website. Contrary to CMS’ announcement, a delay alone is not responsive to the concerns expressed by stakeholders and certainly not to those expressed by DPC. While CMS said it was “partnering with the ESRD community,” it has instead declined to consider input on how to design patient-friendly ratings, and ignored DPC’s requests to see consumer testing materials and the geographic distribution of star assignments. We believe that CMS’ methodology which gives thirty percent of dialysis facilities the [...]

DPC Submits Comments on this Year’s Medicare ESRD Payment Rule

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:04+00:00September 4th, 2014|Categories: Article, Dialysis Funding, Quality Incentive Program|

In late August, DPC submitted comments to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on its payment-setting rule for dialysis facilities in 2015. The rule keeps next year’s payments for dialysis level with this year’s, following a mandate from Congress, but makes some changes to the ESRD Quality Incentive Program (“QIP”) that reduces payments to the lowest-performing facilities. Here are highlights of proposed changes along with DPC’s commentary: Patient Satisfaction Survey Scores To Count Toward QIP Payment Reductions: For several years now, dialysis facilities have administered the “CAHPS” survey of patient experience to patients. However, under current regulations, dialysis facilities [...]

Medicare Agency Under Fire For “Star” Ratings of Health Care Providers

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:04+00:00September 3rd, 2014|Categories: 5-Star Ratings, Article, Comment Letter, Quality Incentive Program|

Can Dialysis Facilities Be Rated Like Movies and Restaurants? Earlier this year, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced plans to expand its movie critic-style “star” rating system, currently in place for nursing homes and Medicare HMOs, to include dialysis facilities and other health care providers. The controversy began earlier this summer when CMS disclosed the system it had devised to assign star ratings for dialysis facilities. DPC was among the first to speak out and express concern, emphasizing four items in particular: Stars were to be assigned on a “bell curve” grading system, in which thirty percent of [...]

DPC Comments on 2015 Prospective Payment System and QIP

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:04+00:00August 28th, 2014|Categories: Comment Letter, Quality Incentive Program|

DPC Comments on 2015 Prospective Payment System and QIP

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:04+00:00August 28th, 2014|Categories: Comment Letter, Dialysis Funding, Quality Incentive Program|

Hon. Marilyn Tavenner, Administrator Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Department of Health and Human Services Hubert H. Humphrey Building 200 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20201 Re: CMS-1614-P: End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System, Quality Incentive Program, and Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies Dear Administrator Tavenner: Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) appreciates the opportunity to provide the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with comments on the proposed payment rule for the Medicare End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program. As America’s largest patient-led organization representing dialysis patients, DPC’s membership consists of more than 26,000 dialysis and pre-dialysis [...]

Kidney Patients Join Industry In Opposing CMS’ Dialysis Star Rating System

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:05+00:00August 8th, 2014|Categories: 5-Star Ratings, Press|

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 with the existing dialysis Quality Incentive Program; and CMS should have sought feedback from patients and providers before forcing the program on them