government

Medicare pay will drop for 30% of end-stage renal disease centers

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Dec. 26, 2011

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

Medicare payments to about 1,500 end-stage renal disease facilities will be reduced by up to 2% in 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Dec. 15.

The pay rate adjustments are the result of a value-based purchasing program involving nearly 5,000 facilities during the 2010 reporting year, during which the government measured facilities' anemia management and dialysis adequacy. Nearly 70% of those facilities achieved high scores on the quality measures and will not be penalized in 2012, CMS said.

"The real purpose of value-based purchasing is to raise the bar on quality, and that's exactly what CMS is aiming to do for Medicare patients who have ESRD," said acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. "This is one of many efforts CMS is making to drive quality improvement in all settings in communities across the country."

ESRD facilities are required to post certificates displaying performance in the quality incentive program. Information about a facility's performance also is available on Medicare's Dialysis Facility Compare website (link).

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/12/26/gvbf1226.htm.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn