The Renal Network PPS Comment CMS-1418-P

The Renal Network, Inc.ESRD Network 9/10December 7, 2009 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Department of Health & Human Services ATTN: CMS 1418-P Mail Stop C4-26-05 7500 Security Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 I am writing on behalf of the Board of Trustees f oTrhe Renal Network, Inc. Our organization holds the contract for ESRD Network 9/10 and is comprised of the states of Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois. Our collective volunteer focer of renal professionals and consumers represents more than 700 dialysis facilities treatni g 42,448 dialysis patients in the Midwest. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the prpoosed rule for the Prospective Payment System (PPS) as mandated through the Medicare Imvpermo ents for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA). As an ESRD Network, we are charged with meeting scpiefic goals on behalf of End-Stage Renal Disease patients: 1. Improve the quality and safety of dialysis-related services provided for individuals with ESRD. 2. Improve the independence, quality of life, and rehabilitation (to the extent possible) of individuals with ESRD through support for transplantation, use of self-care modalities (e.g., peritoneal dialysis, home hemodialysis), and in-center self-care, as medically appropriate, through the end of life. 3. Improve patient perception of care and experience of care, and resolve patients’ complaints and grievances. 4. Improve collaboration with providers and ...