New CMMI payment models announced as of part kidney health initiative

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced five new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation payment models aimed at transforming kidney care so that patients with chronic kidney disease have access to high-quality, coordinated care. The proposed End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices model would be mandatory for certain areas of the country; four other models are voluntary. The ETC model, which would include dialysis facilities and managing clinicians, would provide new incentives to encourage dialysis in the home. The payment adjustments under the proposed ETC model would begin Jan. 1, 2020, and end June 30, 2026. CMMI said the four optional payment models are expected to enroll more than 200,000 Medicare patients in arrangements that give providers new incentives for preventing kidney disease and managing kidney patients’ health more comprehensively. The payment models are in response to an executive order signed today by President Trump on advancing kidney health.