“Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it has finalized the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Treatment Choices (ETC) Model, to improve or maintain the quality of care and reduce Medicare expenditures for patients with chronic kidney disease. The ETC Model delivers on President Trump’s Advancing Kidney Health Executive Order and encourages an increased use of home dialysis and kidney transplants to help improve the quality of life of Medicare beneficiaries with ESRD. The ETC Model will impact approximately 30 percent of kidney care providers and will be implemented on January 1, 2021 at an estimated savings of $23 million over five and a half years…”
“Many beneficiaries with ESRD suffer from poor health outcomes and face increased risk of complications with underlying diseases. For example, people with ESRD who get coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have higher rates of hospitalization. The current Medicare payment system and a lack of beneficiary education may encourage in-center hemodialysis as the default treatment for patients beginning dialysis. Having to travel to dialysis centers for their treatment also potentially exposes those with ESRD to illnesses like COVID-19.”
“The ETC Model will test shifting Medicare payments from traditional fee-for-service payments to payments where providers are incentivized for encouraging receipt of home dialysis and kidney transplants. This value-based payment model will encourage participating care providers to invest in and build their home dialysis programs, allowing patients to receive care in the comfort and safety of their home. Home dialysis gives patients the freedom to choose the therapy that works best with their lifestyles, without being tied to the dialysis facility’s schedule…” Read the full press release here.
Source: CMS Announces Transformative New Model of Care for Medicare Beneficiaries with Chronic Kidney Disease – September 18, 2020. CMS.
