{"id":28319,"date":"2020-07-27T14:41:59","date_gmt":"2020-07-27T14:41:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.mtelehealth.com\/?p=28319"},"modified":"2020-07-27T14:41:59","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T14:41:59","slug":"cms-proposes-to-boost-telehealth-use-in-home-dialysis-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drmiltie.com\/at-home-testing\/cms-proposes-to-boost-telehealth-use-in-home-dialysis-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"CMS Proposes to Boost Telehealth Use in Home Dialysis Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CMS is proposing changes to the Medicare End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) that would encourage the use of telehealth and mHealth platforms and tools to expand dialysis treatment to the home.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0Eric Wicklund<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 21, 2020 – Federal officials are throwing support behind telehealth and mHealth platform that would help providers extend dialysis treatment to the home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled proposed changes<\/a> to the Medicare End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) that, among other things, encourages the use of \u201cnew and innovative equipment\u201d for home dialysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The announcement follows up on President Donald Trump\u2019s 2019 executive order<\/a> that called on the nation\u2019s healthcare system to expand home-based dialysis care, including using connected health platforms and tools. It also takes into account the move toward telehealth and home-based care to address the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCMS data shows that those with ESRD have the highest rate of hospitalization of any single group, a trend consistent with having to frequently leave home to receive dialysis,\u201d CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a press release<\/a>. \u201cIn the midst of a deadly pandemic that poses a particular threat to those with serious underlying conditions, President Trump\u2019s call for increased access to home dialysis has never been more urgent. Unfortunately, government rules too often stand in the way. Today\u2019s action represents a sorely needed course direction, making it easier for ESRD facilities to make new and innovative home dialysis machines available to patients who need them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roughly 30 million Americans, or 15 percent of the adult population, are affected by chronic kidney disease. Of that number, more than 660,000 have kidney failure, and almost 470,000 are on dialysis. More than 193,000, meanwhile, have a functioning kidney transplant, which requires them to follow a very strict daily medication regimen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the agency, more than 85 percent of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries living with ESRB travel to a facility three times a week for dialysis, spending an average of 12 hours a week connected to a machine that, under the right circumstances, could be located at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the National Kidney Foundation, telemedicine offers a promising alternative<\/strong><\/a> to in-person care, most often delivered in a doctor\u2019s office or dialysis clinic. Clinicians can remotely monitor a patient\u2019s blood pressure and other vital signs, as well as offering resources for medication adherence and diet plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More importantly, nephrologists and nephrology nurses can coordinate care online with a patient\u2019s primary care provider (a model now being used by the Indian Health Service) and interact at home with patients undergoing hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, offering on-demand care between regularly scheduled office visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CMS is proposing to expand the transitional add-on payment adjustment for new and innovative equipment and supplies (TPNIES), which was introduced in 2019. This would give care providers new opportunities to receive reimbursement for telehealth programs featuring home dialysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency pointed out that this latest effort builds on previous actions to improve care for people living with kidney disease, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n