Renal Business Today

Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

OIG: CMS Could Save Millions by Adjusting ESRD Bundle for Anemia Drugs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services could have saved $529 million if the end-stage renal disease payment bundle had been adjusted to reflect current utilization of anemia management drugs, the Office of Inspector General concluded this week in a new report. ...More
1 week ago
Posted in News
CMS Lowers Beneficiary Threshold for ESCOs

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has lowered the minimum beneficiary threshold for ESRD Seamless Care Organizations (ESCOs) to 350 from 500 matched beneficiaries. ...More
2 weeks ago
Posted in News, Business
Deciphering Meaningful Use Stage 3

With stage 2 of meaningful use (MU) looming on the horizon for 2014, how many nephrologists have turned their attention to MU stage 3? The stage 3 proposed rule, which was released November 2012, outlines changes to the EHR (electronic health record) Incentive Program that ...More
3 weeks ago
Posted in Articles, Government & Regulation
NRAA HIE CROWNWeb Submissions 80 Percent Complete

Approximately 80 percent of the 800 facilities participating in the National Renal Administrators Association (NRAA) Health Information Exchange (HIE) have finalized the 2012 submission process for CROWNWeb, the NRAA announced in a recent letter. ...More
April 19, 2013
Posted in Articles, Government & Regulation, Practice Management
Focus on Finance: Examining the Renal ACO

In February we looked at tax planning, and in March RBT we questioned some of the assumptions used by the General Accounting Office (GAO) to reach its conclusion that the Medicare ESRD expanded bundle may be “overpaying” for dialysis services. In this issue I am focusing on ...More
April 17, 2013
Posted in Articles, Business, Government & Regulation
ESRD QIP NHSN Deadline Extended

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have agreed to grant a one-time extension for clinics to report to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) in order to comply with the CMS End-Stage Renal ...More
April 2, 2013
Posted in Blog, Government & Regulation
Patients Urge Medicare to Fix HHD Training Reimbursement

WASHINGTON—In honor of National Kidney Month, current and former dialyzors with Hemodialysis at Home: A Better Way for a Better Life , a NxStage sponsored project, gathered in Washington, D.C. today to urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to remove ...More
March 20, 2013
Posted in News, Government & Regulation
Sequestration Hurting EHR Incentive, CMS Education

Meaningful use (MU), we've all heard it, have been aware of it and have had it drilled into our heads to get on the MU band wagon before it's too late—before the incentive turns into a penalty. Now there is one more thing to take into considerations when thinking about all ...More
March 19, 2013
Posted in Blog, Government & Regulation
Focus on Finance: Is the Bundle Payment Really Too High?

Per the Government Accountability Office (GAO)—the recent overall reduction in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) drug utilization suggests the bundled payment is too high. The GAO review was authorized and mandated by MIPPA (Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers ...More
March 5, 2013
Posted in Articles, Business
Slide Show: ESRD Care Initiative

On Monday, February 4, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Comprehensive ESRD (end-stage renal disease) Care Initiative and on Tuesday, February 5, an open forum took place. ...More
March 4, 2013
Posted in Galleries