Star Rating System for Dialysis Facilities for Patients with ESRD
The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid presented information on the Star Rating System for dialysis facilities to the public during a national provider call in July. After listening to the feedback from stakeholders , CMS had decided to implement the Star Rating System for dialysis facilities in January 2015 to allow more time for consumer education about appropriate use of the ratings for making decisions about treatment.
The Medicare End Stage Renal Disease Program is a National Health Insurance program for people with ESRD. The program is designed to encourage self-care dialysis and kidney transplantation and clarify reimbursement procedures to achieve effective cost control.
The Medicare Dialysis Facility Compare (DFC) website is a service of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that has become a major information resource for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) on finding detailed information on Medicare-certified dialysis facilities. Originally launched in 2001 and mandated by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, Dialysis Facility Compare currently features 11 measures on approximately 6,000 Medicare-certified dialysis facilities. The Center of Medicare and Medicaid plans to introduce star ratings on Dialysis Facility Compare as part of our plan to feature star ratings on all of our Compare websites to make it easier for consumers to compare and select dialysis facilities. The Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services presented information on the Star Rating System for dialysis facilities to the public during a national provider call in July. CMS then decided to implement the Star Rating System for dialysis facilities in January 2015 to allow more time for consumer education about appropriate use of the ratings for making decisions about treatment. Implementing the Star Rating system for dialysis facilities in January will also give dialysis facilities extra time to review their ratings and fine tune verification and correction processes for data submission to Dialysis Facility Compare.
Prior to launching the Dialysis Facility Compare Star Rating System, they provided a variety of consumer educational activities, including:
- An Open Door Forum that will provide background on the Compare website star rating initiative, the development of star ratings for DFC and the strengths and limitations of star ratings in making treatment decisions.
- Consumer group informational sessions that will provide ready-to-use information on how to use the stars to inform treatment decisions, including the strengths and limitations of stars.
- Direct consumer outreach to put information in the hands of consumers through the many ways they receive health care information, including newspapers, the internet, and other sources. CMS is committed to working with stakeholders in implementing the star ratings for Dialysis Facility Compare. They will continue to partner with the End Stage Renal Disease community to ensure that consumers have information they can easily understand and use to make important health care decisions.