KCP Supports Policies to Expand Home Dialysis and Improve Reimbursement for Phosphate-Lowering Drugs, Remains Concerned About Patient Access to Innovative Treatments
Summary
Washington, DC, November 05, 2024 --( PR.com )-- Kidney Care Partners (KCP) – the nation’s leading kidney care multi-stakeholder coalition representing patient advocates, physician organizations, health professional groups, dialysis providers, researchers, and manufacturers – issued the following comments in response to the recently released final Calendar Year 2025 End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS), Payment for Renal Dialysis Services Furnished to Individuals with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), End-Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program (QIP), and End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices Model (ETC).“We applaud CMS’s efforts both in recognizing that providing oral-only medications as part of the bundle requires additional funding, as well as creating access for AKI patients to home dialysis,” said Mahesh Krishnan, MD, MPH, MBA, Chair of Kidney Care Partners. The coalition is also pleased that CMS not only extended home dialysis modalities to individuals with AKI but also removed the second budget neutrality adjustment that would result in a cut of nearly $9 per treatment for patients selecting these modalities.Yet, while it is important to expand the outlier pool to include innovative medications, this policy modification will not address the underlying problem that the base rate is insufficient to support adding new treatment options without adding new money. 4469) - is needed to provide a permanent reimbursement pathway for innovative drugs and devices.As KCP looks to the future, it remains concerned that the bundle is increasingly not functioning as intended, as demonstrated through MedPAC’s projected margin of zero percent for FY2024 for dialysis facilities. This also makes it extremely challenging for dialysis facilities to compete with wages offered by other providers, such as hospitals, which have seen significant increases in additional funding in recent years. These reforms are necessary to ensure patients who rely upon dialysis have access to high-quality, well-trained staff and can dialyze on a schedule that meets their work and family obligations.