CMS issues proposed CY 2016 rule for ESRD facilities

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Friday issued a proposed rule that would increase overall Medicare payments to end-stage renal disease facilities by 0.3% in calendar year 2016. Hospital-based facilities would see a 0.5% increase. The Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 required a reduced ESRD bundled market-basket update for CY 2016 of 0.15%, resulting in a 2016 ESRD prospective payment system base rate of $230.20 after productivity and wage index budget-neutrality adjustments. CMS also proposes three new measures for the ESRD Quality Incentive Program for payment year 2019. Specifically, the rule would replace four dialysis adequacy measures with a single clinical measure and adopt new quality reporting measures for ultrafiltration rate and flu vaccination. The proposed rule will be published in the July 1 Federal Register with comments accepted through Aug. 25.