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FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
MARGIN ANALYSIS FACT SHEET
Medicare reimburses facilities that provide dialysis treatment services to patients with kidney failure, also known as End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), using: (1) a composite payment rate per treatment that covers routine dialysis services and includes a drug add-on payment, and (2) a separate payment for certain drugs that are not included in... Read More
MEDICARE UPDATE FACT SHEET
Typically, patients receive dialysis treatments three to four times a week. Medicare pays for this benefit using a bifurcated system which includes: (1) the composite rate, and (2) separately billed items and services. Established in the mid-1980s, the composite rate covers “all necessary services” required for each dialysis... Read More
THE KIDNEY CARE QUALITY & EDUCATION ACT OF 2007
S. 691/H.R. 1193
The Kidney Care Quality and Education Act seeks to improve educational services and establish a patient-center continuous quality improvement initiative. Patient education is critically important to ensuring a high quality of life for patients. This bill creates public and patient education initiatives to increase awareness about Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) as well as other initiatives to help CKD patients learn self-management skills to slow the progression of their disease.
The legislation calls for a three-year Continuous Quality Improvement Initiative for the Medicare End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program to assure that payments support high quality care. The ESRD composite rate is the only Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS) without an annual update mechanism to adjust for changes in input prices and inflation. The legislation provides for such an update for the duration of the Quality Initiative, thereby linking the annual update to clinical performance measures. Quality-based payments would be funded by using a portion of the update. These payments would reward substantial quality improvement and attainment of quality benchmarks, as measured by key quality measures established in collaboration with the kidney care community.
The Kidney Care Quality & Education Act Bill Summary
The Kidney Care Quality & Education Act S.691
The Kidney Care Quality & Education Act S. 691 Co-Sponsors
The Kidney Care Quality & Education Act H.R. 1193
The Kidney Care Quality & Education Act H.R. 1193 Co-Sponsors
HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Issue Background: The Institute of Medicine and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have identified information technology (IT) as a key component to improve the quality of the nation’s health care and lower costs. The U.S. health care industry, however, lags far behind other sectors in its investment in IT. Adoption of health IT systems faces significant financial, legal, and technical obstacles. The House and Senate each passed legislation during the last Congress to encourage the development and implementation of an interoperable health IT infrastructure (H.R. 4157 and S. 1418). While health IT enjoys strong bipartisan support, the House and Senate failed to resolve differences in their respective bills last Congress. With the Democrats now in control of Congress for the 110th Congressional Session, key legislators continue to make health IT a legislative priority.
STATE LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
STATE ISSUE PRIORITIES
New Jersey
Uncompensated Outpatient Renal Dialysis Services for Uninsured Low-Income Persons
(Bill: S.1250/A.2925)
Background: On May 4, 2007, Acting Governor Richard Codey signed into law S-1250/A-2925, which requires ambulatory care facilities to provide uncompensated outpatient renal dialysis services for uninsured low-income persons. The following summary outlines the bill
requirements upon its implementation:
- Dialysis providers will be required to provide uncompensated care up to a ceiling of 3.5% of total treatments. There is no minimum.
- There are no monetary fines or penalties for non-compliance.
- Compliance with the bill is a condition of licensure and renewal.
- Providers are required to annually report the number of patients and treatments provided to low-income uninsured patients.
Georgia
Patient Care Technician Bill (Bill: SB-57)
Background: The Georgia Patient Care Technician (PCT) bill would require PCT's to be state-certified in order to practice as a dialysis technician and would additionally require PCT's be certified by a nationally-recognized accrediting organization. The State Board of Nursing would establish the requirements for a trainee's qualifications, training program curriculum, conditions for initial, and renewal, of certification and fees pertaining to implementation. The bill calls for
full implementation by January 1, 2008. The bill did not pass during the 2007 legislative session. However, it is very likely to be re-introduced in 2008.
New York
Patient Care Technician Bill (Bill: A00158)
Background: The Patient Care Technician Bill (A158) requires the Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education to establish training requirements for Patient Care Technicians (PCTs) in the State of New York. The Bill is likely to pass during the 2007 legislative session.
For more information on federal and state legislative issues contact The Kidney Care Council at (202) 756-3031.
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