Renal Business Today

Medicare

How the Fiscal Cliff Affects Dialysis

The fiscal cliff was avoided, for now at least, when President Barack Obama signed the Fiscal Cliff Bill on Thursday, January 3. ...More
January 7, 2013
Posted in Blog, Government & Regulation
Kidney Care Provisions in Fiscal Cliff Package Place Added Pressure on Dialysis Patients

WASHINGTON—The kidney care community is committed to being good stewards of Medicare dollars, which is why we believe the new dialysis payment system should reflect the total cost of caring for patients with kidney failure. We also believe it is important to allow the ...More
January 2, 2013
Posted in News, Government & Regulation
GAO: Dialysis Bundle Payment Too High

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on December 7 entitled "End-Stage Renal Disease: Reduction in Drug Utilization Suggests Bundled Payment Rate is Too High." ...More
December 13, 2012
Posted in Articles, Government & Regulation
The Fiscal Cliff, the Patient, the Clinic and the Wallet

A typical dialysis clinic, and the whole renal industry in general, makes money because of the unfortunate disease that has interfered with an individual's life: kidney disease. The clinics get a certain amount of money reimbursed from Medicare each and every year. ...More
December 12, 2012
Posted in Blog, Government & Regulation
Medicare Investigates Dialysis Center for Injecting Patients with Cleanser, Bleach

TOWN AND COUNTRY, Mo.—Seven patients were hospitalized and now a dialysis clinic is being investigated on the suspicions of injecting patients with bleach or other cleansers. ...More
December 6, 2012
Posted in News, Practice Management
People with Medicare Save $5 Billion on Prescription Drugs Because of Health Care Law

WASHINGTON—As the final week of Medicare Open Enrollment approaches, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that savings on prescription drugs made possible by the Affordable Care Act reached $5.1 billion. ...More
December 4, 2012
Posted in News, Government & Regulation
CNN: DaVita Whistleblowers Hire Private Attorneys

DENVER—Two DaVita whistleblowers who alleged the dialysis provider intentionally threw away extra medication to boost reimbursement have hired private attorneys to bring the case to trial in 2013, according to CNN. ...More
November 30, 2012
Posted in News, Government & Regulation
The Fiscal Cliff, Medicare and What it Means to Dialysis Care

At midnight, on December 31, provisions from the Budget Control Act of 2011—better known as the fiscal cliff—are scheduled to go into effect. What does that mean for you? A 2 percent tax increase for those employed, an end of some tax breaks for businesses and high-income ...More
November 28, 2012
Posted in Blog, Government & Regulation
Billing Solutions: Adjusting the Adjustments

Hard to believe, but the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) industry has been living under the bundle for nearly two full years. You would think that would be plenty of time for payment issues and problems to be worked out with payers and dialysis providers. However, there are ...More
November 26, 2012
Posted in Articles, Government & Regulation
Medicare Continues Effort to Give Consumers More Information on Health Care Quality

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the first three participants in a program designed to help consumers get more information regarding their local doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers. The Medicare Data Sharing for ...More
November 26, 2012
Posted in News, Government & Regulation