Hannah Bracamonte, Author at Dialysis Patient Citizens

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

DPC Expresses Concern about Five Star Ratings for Dialysis Facility Compare

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:05+00:00August 7th, 2014|Categories: 5-Star Ratings, Comment Letter, Quality Incentive Program|

Dialysis Patient Citizens Critical of Dialysis Facility Compare’s Five-Star Rating System

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:05+00:00August 7th, 2014|Categories: 5-Star Ratings, Press|

In a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, Dialysis Patient Citizens expressed concern about the implementation of Dialysis Facility Compare’s new five-star rating system.

New Medicare Rule for Dialysis Facilities Brings Changes to “Pay for Performance” Formula
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New Medicare Rule for Dialysis Facilities Brings Changes to “Pay for Performance” Formula

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:05+00:00July 1st, 2014|Categories: Get Involved, Quality Incentive Program, Take Action|

Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its Proposed Rule specifying how dialysis facilities will be paid in 2015 and beyond. Most of the proposed changes relate to the Quality Improvement Program for dialysis. The Quality Improvement Program (QIP) sets performance standards for each clinic and penalizes clinics that do not meet or make progress toward the standards by cutting their payments by up to two percent. The purpose is to incentivize providers to do a better job by tying their pay to performance. This year’s rule proposes several changes including new measures related to: patient [...]

Kidney Care Bill Introduced in U.S. House of Representatives
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Kidney Care Bill Introduced in U.S. House of Representatives

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:05+00:00June 30th, 2014|Categories: Article, Care Coordination, Medicare Advantage, Treatment Options|

Congressmen John Lewis (D-GA) and Tom Marino (R-PA) have introduced the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. Lewis and Marino are leaders on the Congressional Kidney Caucus and have been staunch supporters of dialysis patients over the years. This bill seeks to advance several proactive kidney care policy initiatives and provides a vehicle for educating Members of Congress and the public about the issues facing kidney disease patients and the kidney community as a whole. The bill would: Improve understanding of kidney disease: The legislation seeks to identify the gaps in critical [...]

Its a Shoo In!
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Its a Shoo In!

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:05+00:00June 30th, 2014|Categories: Get Involved, Patient's Voice|

Meet Darrel Ratliff, who continues to run his shoe repair business while also being an in-center dialysis patient. Darrel was a diabetic for many years until lab tests in 2009 revealed values his doctor did not like. He was immediately admitted to the hospital and given two dialysis treatments that day. Results of a subsequent needle biopsy determined only four percent kidney function. Darrel has struggled with many health setbacks such as anemia, infection scares and allergies. He jokingly states that he must now follow a dialysis diet and that means, “if it tastes good, spit it out!” Darrel doesn’t [...]

Quality Incentive Program in July
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Quality Incentive Program in July

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:05+00:00June 30th, 2014|Categories: Article, Quality Incentive Program|

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has an ongoing quality incentive program, the first of its kind, for End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) care. The quality incentive program, or QIP, is intended to improve the care provided to ESRD patients by paying dialysis facilities based on the quality of care they deliver. If a facility fails to meet certain performance standards, they may receive a lower performance score, which results in lower payments to the facility. Each July, CMS releases a proposed rule with changes they suggest for the following year’s ESRD QIP. This rule is published online [...]

Kidney Community Rallies for Key Victory in Louisiana
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Kidney Community Rallies for Key Victory in Louisiana

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:05+00:00June 3rd, 2014|Categories: Article, Charitable Premium Assistance, State Advocacy|

Recently, Blue Cross Blue Shield stopped accepting third party payments for medical premiums in the new health exchanges. This meant that dialysis patients in the state of Louisiana could not use financial assistance from organizations such as the American Kidney Fund (AKF) to subsidize their premium costs. Nearly 2,000 low-income Louisiana dialysis patients rely on help from assistance organizations to maintain their access to health insurance. For people with kidney failure, the out-of-pocket treatment costs are very high, and it is particularly challenging for a person on dialysis to remain employed because of the frequent treatment schedule (typically three times [...]

Medicare Ambulance Fraud in Los Angeles – A Specific Example

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:05+00:00May 7th, 2014|Categories: Article, State Advocacy, Uncategorized|

The owners of Alpha Ambulance Inc. (Alpha), a now-defunct Los Angeles-area ambulance transportation company, have been sentenced in connection with a Medicare fraud scheme. Acting Assistant Attorney General David A. O’Neil of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. of the Central District of California, Special Agent in Charge Glenn R. Ferry of the Los Angeles Region of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and Assistant Director in Charge Bill L. Lewis of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement. Aleksey Muratov, aka Russ Muratov, 32, and Alex [...]

About Hannah Bracamonte

Dialysis Patient Citizens

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