Hannah Bracamonte, Author at Dialysis Patient Citizens

CMS Announces Changes to Dialysis Facility Compare and Star Ratings

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:41+00:00November 14th, 2016|Categories: 5-Star Ratings, Article|

On October 28, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added patient experience survey results and two new clinical quality measures as well as updated the way CMS calculates star ratings on its Dialysis Facility Compare website. The star ratings were originally included on the Dialysis Facility Compare website on January 22, 2015 and were previously updated in October 2015. Currently, there are star ratings on Dialysis Facility Compare, Nursing Home Compare, Physician Compare, Home Health Compare and Hospital Compare. CMS is adding patient experience of care survey information from the In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and [...]

Urge the U.S. Senate to Open Medicare Advantage for ESRD Patients

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:42+00:00October 13th, 2016|Categories: Article, Medicare Advantage, Take Action|

The ESRD Choice Act (H.R. 5659) unanimously passed in the House of Representatives on September 21. Thanks in large part to your persistent advocacy, we are now one step closer to opening Medicare Advantage enrollment to ESRD patients. Unfortunately, we still need the Senate to take action. Please take a few minutes to urge your Senators to move this issue to the President’s desk for signature. Contact your Senators about the importance of expanding insurance options for ESRD patients. Learn more about Medicare Advantage

DPC Submits Comments to CMS’ Request for Information

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:42+00:00October 13th, 2016|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Charitable Premium Assistance|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

In late August, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) placed a Request for Information about insurance steering and the use of third-party payments for insurance premiums. DPC has consistently advocated for patient choice in regards to insurance plans, we believe patients have the right to choose an insurance plan that works best with their health needs and desired outcomes. DPC submitted comments in response to this request emphasizing the increased benefits some exchange plans offer to dialysis patients as opposed to traditional Medicare. In addition to submitting formal comments, DPC has created a dedicated “Patient Assistance” information page where you can find press [...]

A Poor Fix For Obamacare

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:42+00:00September 29th, 2016|Categories: Uncategorized|

Saving the Affordable Care Act Doesn’t Have to Cost the Sickest Their Coverage

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:42+00:00September 26th, 2016|Categories: Charitable Premium Assistance, Press|

American Kidney Fund

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:28+00:00September 26th, 2016|Categories: Charitable Premium Assistance, Other Links|

Archive of CMS Contractors’ Reports

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:28+00:00September 23rd, 2016|Categories: 5-Star Ratings, Article, Uncategorized|

Health Care Quality Measures and Transparency Pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by DPC in 2015, we present here a number of research reports from CMS contractors on health care quality measures and transparency. The link below takes you to a 208-page PDF document produced by CMS in response to the FOIA. Below is a list of the seven reports in the PDF, along with the authoring organization and PDF page numbers at which each individual report begins. FOIA Request File Quality Measures Survey 2014 Aeffect p.2 Quality Compare Environmental Scan KRC Research August 1, 2012 p.16 [...]

DPC Emphasizes Importance of Charity Assistance to Kidney Patients in Comments to CMS

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:28+00:00September 22nd, 2016|Categories: Charitable Premium Assistance, Other Links, Press Release|

Patient Group Comments to CMS re: Request for Information on Insurance Steering

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:28+00:00September 22nd, 2016|Categories: Charitable Premium Assistance, Comment Letter|

Andy Slavitt Acting Administrator Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20201 RE: CMS-6074-NC: “Inappropriate Steering of Individuals Eligible for or Receiving Medicare and Medicaid Benefits to Individual Market Plans” Dear Acting Administrator Slavitt: On behalf of the dialysis patients we represent, the American Kidney Fund (AKF), Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC), and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) appreciate the opportunity to provide comments on the Request for Information entitled “Inappropriate Steering of Individuals Eligible for or Receiving Medicare and Medicaid Benefits to Individual Market Plans” (RFI). More specifically, we are [...]

Comments to CMS re: Request for Information on Insurance Steering

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:28+00:00September 20th, 2016|Categories: Charitable Premium Assistance, Comment Letter, Innovation|

Andrew Slavitt, Acting 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-6074-NC: “Request for Information: Inappropriate Steering of Individuals Eligible for or Receiving Medicare and Medicaid Benefits” Dear Mr. Slavitt: Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) responds herein to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with comments on the above referenced Request for Information. As America’s largest patient-led organization representing dialysis patients, DPC’s membership consists of more than 28,000 dialysis and pre-dialysis patients and their families. We seek to ensure the patient point [...]

About Hannah Bracamonte

Dialysis Patient Citizens

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