Table 5.
Quality improvement program for 2015 and 2016
| Payment year | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Measure | 6 clinical | 8 clinical |
| Hb > 12 g/dl | Hb > 12 g/dl | |
| VAT measure topic | VAT measure topic | |
| Catheter | Catheter | |
| Fistula | Fistula | |
| Kt/V | Kt/V | |
| HD | HD | |
| PD | PD | |
| Pediatric | Pediatric | |
| 4 reporting | NHSN bloodstream infections in HD outpatients | |
| NHSN | Hypercalcemia | |
| ICH CAHPS | 3 reporting | |
| Mineral metabolism | ICH CAHPS | |
| Anemia management | Mineral metabolism | |
| Anemia management | ||
| Performance period | CY 2013 | CY 2014 |
| Comparison period | CY 2011 (achievement) | CY 2012 (achievement) |
| CY 2012 (improvement) | CY 2013 (improvement) | |
| No improvement scoring for NHSN bloodstream infections | ||
| Performance standard | National performance rate (CY 2011) | National performance rate (CY 2012) |
| National performance rate (May–December 2012) for hypercalcemia | ||
| National performance rate (CY 2014) for NHSN | ||
| Weighting | Clinical 75%, reporting 25% | Clinical 75%, reporting 25%, hypercalcemia at two thirds of each remaining clinical measure |
| Maximum performance score | 100 points | 100 points |
| Minimum total performance score | 60 points | 54 points |
| Payment reduction scale | 0.5%–2% with a 0.5% reduction for every 10 points under the minimum total performance score | |
Adapted from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ESRD quality improvement project summary for payment year 2012–2016. "Clinical" means that target value needs to be achieved. "Reporting" indicates that no target value was available and credit was given for reporting results only. Hb, hemoglobin; VAT, vascular access type; HD, hemodialysis; PD, peritoneal dialysis; NHSN, National Healthcare System Network (reporting of dialysis-related infection events); ICH CAHPS, In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems; CY, Calendar Year.