Happy Labor Day! This holiday not only honors the American labor movement, it also unofficially represents a goodbye to summer, the start of football season, the end of wearing white (no judging … [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...]
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...]
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...]
