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Happy Holidays and DPC’s Top 10 Accomplishments of 2018

2024-03-29T01:13:36+00:00December 19th, 2018|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Care Coordination, Charitable Premium Assistance, Dialysis Funding, Get Involved, Medicare Advantage, Medigap Coverage, Take Action, Transplant Donor Protection|Tags: |

Dialysis Patient Citizens wants to wish you and your family a Happy Holiday, as well as a safe and healthy New Year. We also want to take this opportunity to share with you our Top 10 list of accomplishments for 2018, which would not have been possible without your support. Thank you for helping us elevate the dialysis patient voice with policy makers. We are extremely grateful for all of your efforts, and we look forward to our continued collaboration in 2019 as we work together to improve dialysis patient quality of life.

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Medicare Adds Transplant Measure to ESRD Quality Improvement Program

2024-03-29T01:13:37+00:00November 18th, 2018|Categories: Access to Transplant, Article, Quality Incentive Program|

On November 1, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final annual rule updating payment policies for the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System and the ESRD Quality Incentive Program (QIP). Among new quality measures to take effect beginning in 2022 is Percentage of Prevalent Patients Placed on a Transplant Waiting List (PPPW). This measure was already scheduled to be reported for individual clinics, beginning next year, on CMS’ Dialysis Facility Compare website. Adding it to the QIP means that facilities can be penalized if the percentage of their patients waitlisted for transplant is below [...]

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California Residents Vote Against Proposition 8 to Protect Dialysis Patients’ Access to Care

2024-03-29T01:13:37+00:00November 7th, 2018|Categories: Article, Dialysis Funding, State Advocacy|

With a 62 percent majority vote, California residents voted against proposition 8, which could have had devastating consequences for dialysis patients’ access to care if passed. DPC is grateful for all of the patients and advocates who spoke to their friends, family, and peers about the dangers of this flawed ballot initiative. We will continue our work to elevate the voice of individuals with kidney disease, as we fight for patients' rights and continued access to quality care. There are over 84,0001 individuals in California with kidney failure. If proposition 8 had passed, many dialysis facilities would have faced potential closure, [...]

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Medicare Threat to Vascular Access Centers Delayed

2024-03-29T01:13:37+00:00November 6th, 2018|Categories: Article, Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care|

Last month we reported that the Centers for Medicaid Services (CMS) was proposing to cut reimbursement for vascular access centers effective January 2019. We’re pleased to report now that CMS is delaying any cuts as it studies the matter further. In recent years, CMS has pushed for “site-neutral payments,” meaning that Medicare pays the same for procedures regardless of whether they are performed in a doctor’s office or a more costly hospital setting. Specifically, this means paying at the lowest rate. In the case of vascular surgery for dialysis access, CMS proposed to pay the “office-based” rate, which would not suffice to keep [...]

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Advocacy for More Care Coordination

2024-03-29T01:13:37+00:00October 24th, 2018|Categories: Care Coordination, Quality Incentive Program|

DPC continues its advocacy in support of the Dialysis PATIENTS Demonstration Act (H.R. 4143/S. 2065), recently reaching out to members of both the House of Representatives and Senate. In our letters to Congress, we highlighted a number of important healthcare improvements for dialysis patients that are tied to the PATIENTS Act, including better care coordination, additional patient support and improved quality standards among clinics. DPC is joined by a number of organizations that agree on the potential benefits to patients in The Dialysis PATIENTS Act and have pledged their support. Click here to read DPC’s letter to the House of Representatives. [...]

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California Residents: October 22 Voter Registration Deadline Approaching

2024-03-29T01:13:37+00:00October 19th, 2018|Categories: Article, Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care, State Advocacy|

The deadline to register to vote in California is Monday, October 22. This is an especially important year to get your voice heard as the outcome of the election can impact the over 84,0001 individuals in California with kidney failure. Proposition 8 is a dangerous ballot initiative in California, and if passed, can have devastating consequences for dialysis patients’ access to care. Specifically, many dialysis facilities will face potential closure leaving patients to: Scramble to find new dialysis facilities for their treatment and Potentially travel much farther to receive their life-saving care Dialysis patient access to care is at stake! Help the 84,000+ dialysis [...]

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DPC Increases Advocacy Efforts to Help Block Proposition 8

2024-03-29T01:13:37+00:00October 10th, 2018|Categories: Article, Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care, State Advocacy, Take Action|

Proposition 8 is a dangerous ballot initiative that California residents will be asked to vote on this November. If proposition 8 is passed, this can have devastating consequences for dialysis patients’ access to care. Specifically, many dialysis facilities will face potential closure leaving patients to: Scramble to find new dialysis facilities for their treatment and Potentially travel much farther to receive their life-saving care Even if you are not a resident of California, your influence can help dialysis patients. Please help us spread the word about the dangers of this initiative by urging your family and friends that live in California [...]

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DPC Comments on Threat to Vascular Access Centers

2024-03-29T01:13:38+00:00September 19th, 2018|Categories: Article, Comment Letter, Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care|

The Centers for Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to cut reimbursement for vascular access centers. This could negatively impact dialysis patents’ access to care, which is why we have weighed in on this important issue. Dialysis Access and Fistulas People with kidney failure need to have a dialysis access placed in order to receive live-saving dialysis treatments. Vascular surgeons create and maintain arteriovenous fistulas, which is a type of dialysis access. Fistulas are important for individuals on dialysis as they are considered a best practice in kidney care, improve patient outcomes and reduce the risk of infection. Read DPC’s comment letter [...]

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CALL TO ACTION – Contact California Governor to Oppose SB 1156

2024-03-29T01:13:38+00:00September 3rd, 2018|Categories: Article, Dialysis Funding, State Advocacy|

Last week, the California Assembly voted in favor of passing Senate Bill 1156. 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 Senate Bill 1156 has now moved onto the desk of California Governor Jerry Brown, who has until the end of September to act on the bill. This is your last chance to prevent this bill from becoming law.  If you live in California, we urge you to [...]

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DPC Comments on Annual Medicare ESRD Rule

2024-03-29T01:13:38+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 [...]

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