Were you watching last week when the most eligible bachelor in the world got married? The $13 million George Clooney wedding generated the expected hoopla, with crowds of boats churning the canals of … [Read more...]
Misleading Patients: CMS Blindly Charges Ahead with 5 Star
“When buying a product or service, looking at ratings can often help narrow down the choices. Some websites offer ‘star’ ratings that give information about the quality of the products and services … [Read more...]
PQRS 2014: A Plethora of Choices
Quality reporting has been a popular topic in the Acumen blog of late. Celebrating Labor Day, I thought we would continue the trend, but turn our attention to the Physician Quality Reporting System … [Read more...]
Data Integrity and Stewardship: Creating Credible Dialysis Quality Reporting Systems
In November 1962, Life Magazine published the Shana Alexander article, “They Decide Who Lives, Who Dies” about the dialysis selection committee in Seattle, Washington. This magazine story was written … [Read more...]
Seeing Stars: Unintended Consequences of the Dialysis 5-Star Rating Program
I recently attended the 3rd Annual Acumen Users Conference held in Nashville, TN. On opening day I had the privilege of discussing the three CMS incentive programs that nephrologists face today. PQRS, … [Read more...]
Value-Based Payment Models: From Volume to Value
Recently in this blog Terry pointed out that the Emperor may, in fact, not be wearing new clothes when it comes to the impact of the value-based payment modifier (VM). At the risk of turning value … [Read more...]
Dialysis 5-Star Rating: The Curse of the Bell Curve
Readers of this blog are no doubt familiar with the complexities of providing medical care to patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). This patient population suffers with significant comorbidity … [Read more...]
The Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier (VM): Is the Emperor Wearing Clothes?
The dog days of summer have certainly arrived. In addition to early morning runs in a sauna and always forgetting to apply sunscreen to the tops of my feet, this time of year brings additional sport. … [Read more...]