Dive Brief:
- A rule proposed late last week by CMS aims to update payment policies and rates for renal dialysis services under the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS).
- The rule, which would take effect on or after January 1, 2017, also seeks to implement new quality measures for dialysis facilities treating those with end-stage renal disease.
- If the rule is implemented, dialysis facilities will receive 0.5% or $50 million more for reimbursement in 2017 than they received this year, Modern Healthcare noted.
Dive Insight:
CMS highlights that the ESRD PPS proposed rule is part of the administration's overall strategy to deliver better care at lower cost.
Notably to ESRD facilities, the changes are projected to up the total 2017 payments to hospital-based facilities by 0.7% and to freestanding facilities by 0.5% compared to 2016. Medicare expects to pay a total of about $9 billion to roughly 6,000 ESRD facilities to cover costs for chronic maintenance dialysis services.
Comments on the rule are being taken until August 23.