Hannah Bracamonte, Author at Dialysis Patient Citizens

Patient Access to Electronic Medical Records: Dialysis Patients More Likely to Think It’s Important to View Their Information and More Likely to Do So at Least Once a Month

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:29+00:00April 19th, 2016|Categories: Article, Improve Access to Care|

DPC’s most recent member survey asked patients their views on access to their electronic medical records to compare their opinions to those of the general public. Many physician practices that use electronic medical records make them available to their patients through secure “patient portals.” Half of dialysis patients say their main doctor gives them online access to their medical information, which is the same rate found for the public as a whole, according to a survey by the National Partnership for Women and Families. Dialysis patients are more likely to think online access important. The DPC survey found that 83 [...]

Proposed Changes to Dialysis Facility Compare Tool May Make It More Useful
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Proposed Changes to Dialysis Facility Compare Tool May Make It More Useful

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:29+00:00March 16th, 2016|Categories: 5-Star Ratings, Article, Comment Letter|

Dialysis Facility Compare (DFC) is an online tool that allows users to search and compare dialysis facilities based on star ratings and certain measures. DPC has previously submitted suggestions on how to improve the proposed measures. Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in a Planned Changes document that the star ratings included in the DFC would be reassigned based on a 2014 threshold, meaning that the distribution of ratings would look more like it does on CMS’ other websites, and apply standards that are more familiar and intuitive to consumers. DPC submitted another comment letter (published [...]

Study: End Stage Renal Disease Patients Face Policy Barriers to Home Dialysis

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00March 10th, 2016|Categories: Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, Innovation, Promote Financial Security, Treatment Options|

Current federal policies limit patient access to home dialysis, a treatment option that offers significant clinical and quality-of-life advantages, according to a report released today by Washington, DC-based economist Alex Brill of Matrix Global Advisors (MGA). As a result of policy barriers, Brill finds a key segment of the growing population of patients who have end-stage renal disease (ESRD) miss out on the important health and lifestyle benefits of home dialysis. Brill, formerly chief economist to the House Ways & Means Committee, also finds that innovation in the home dialysis market may not reach patients if barriers cannot be addressed. Fewer [...]

Bipartisan Living Donor Protection Act Introduced to Protect Organ Donors

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00March 10th, 2016|Categories: Article, Transplant Donor Protection|

On February 25, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Congressman Michael Burgess M.D. (R-TX), joined by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), introduced the Living Donor Protection Act of 2016 to protect the rights of living organ donors. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) does not specify that living organ donors can take unpaid leave to recover from their donation and does not guarantee that donors will have a job waiting for them after surgery. Further, according to a 2007 study in the American Journal of Transplantation, as many as 11 percent of living organ donors experience [...]

DPC Urges Members to Share Stories of Insurance Assistance from the American Kidney Fund

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00March 10th, 2016|Categories: Article, Charitable Premium Assistance, Medigap Coverage|

For decades, dialysis patients have received financial assistance from the American Kidney Fund to help them maintain their private insurance or Medigap coverage. Recently, insurers started to reject those payments from AKF in an effort to purge kidney patients from their health plans. We ask you to please share your stories about the help that AKF has provided and about any problems you have experienced due to an insurance company refusing to take AKF payments. You need not give your name. Click here to take our survey.

DPC Encourages Participation in National Kidney Month Awareness

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00March 10th, 2016|Categories: Article, Charitable Premium Assistance, Dialysis Funding, Get Involved, Take Action, Transplant Donor Protection, Uncategorized|

March is National Kidney Month, which provides you with the perfect opportunity to spread awareness by educating your community and your legislators about kidney disease and the importance of kidney health. You can find educational information on the website of our sister organization, the DPC Education Center to share with your family and community. Additionally, we can provide promotional materials for any awareness events you plan to hold in March. To request materials such as pens and squeezable kidneys, visit our materials request page or call us at 1-866-877-4242. On the legislative front, you can ask your member of Congress to [...]

Legislation Aims to Improve Access to Telemedicine

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00February 11th, 2016|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Improve Access to Care|

Telemedicine is the practice of using technology to deliver various medical services to patients. Examples include video visits with physicians, scheduling appointments online and using electronic devices to monitor vital signs. Medicare coverage for this type of health care remains restricted due to guidelines from the Social Security Act. A new piece of legislation, introduced by a bipartisan group of Senators, would waive these coverage restrictions. The new bill, called the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act, would create a “bridge program” for health providers who use certain payment models. Under the program, providers [...]

DPC Sends Comment Letter on Chronic Care Working Group Document

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00February 11th, 2016|Categories: Care Coordination, Medicare Advantage|

A document released by the Senate Chronic Care Working Group in December contains several policy proposals for the care of end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. DPC’s most recent e-newsletter outlined the proposal’s topics, which include opening Medicare Advantage plans to dialysis patients, and making Special Needs Plans permanent to better coordinate care. DPC recently submitted a letter commenting on these proposals. DPC supports the proposal to allow ESRD patients to enroll in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans without restrictions. Current guidelines prevent ESRD patients enrolled in traditional Medicare to enroll in Medicare Advantage plans. DPC encourages the working group to share comments they may receive [...]

DPC Encourages Participation in 2016 Primary Elections

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00February 11th, 2016|Categories: Article, Take Action|

While the November presidential election is still months away, DPC encourages its members to participate in the caucuses and primaries in your state. These elections help to shape the ultimate contest in November for President, Members of Congress, as well as for state and local office holders. To be eligible to vote, a person must be a United States citizen, at least 18 years old, and meet his or her state residency requirements. Many states offer absentee ballots that voters can send through the mail. For more information on your state guidelines for voter registration, absentee ballots and more, visit the [...]

Is This the Future of ESRD Care? A New Program Goes the Extra Mile for Dialysis Patients

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00February 1st, 2016|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Care Coordination|

By, Jackson Williams, Government Affairs Director for Dialysis Patient Citizens For more than a decade, officials in Washington, DC have been experimenting with ways to reorganize Medicare to deliver better care at lower costs. Several of these “demonstration projects” have involved ESRD patients. Now, the largest such program for dialysis patients has kicked off at 13 locations across the U.S. It’s called the ESRD Seamless Care Organization, or “ESCO,” model. This article describes what one of these projects, Philadelphia-Camden Integrated Kidney Care, is doing to improve care for its patients. Philadelphia-Camden Integrated Kidney Care covers about 2,000 patients at DaVita clinics in the [...]

About Hannah Bracamonte

Dialysis Patient Citizens

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