The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed changes in the Quality Incentive Program (QIP) for 2013. The changes specifically involve anemia. The QIP was created to assure that even though the costs of providing dialysis care are born exclusively by the dialysis provider, there are specific quality goals that if not met result in financial penalties. The quality goals currently place are:
Dialysis units that fail to hit the goals perscribed by the quality score receive a reduction in the Medicare payment by 0.5-2%. It should be apparent that the required hemoglobin targets ares problematic, especially given the recent action by the FDA (see my recent post Between a rock and a hard place). CMS is proposing the elimination of the floor on hemoglobin targets:
- Percentage of Medicare patients with an average Hemoglobin < 10.0g/dL (Hemoglobin Less Than 10g/dL Measure)
- Percentage of Medicare patients with an average Hemoglobin > 12.0g/dL (Hemoglobin Greater Than 12g/dL Measure)
- Percentage of Medicare patients with an average Urea Reduction Ratio (URR) ≥ 65 percent (URR Hemodialysis Adequacy Measure).
...Therefore, for the PY 2013 ESRD QIP, we propose to continue to use the following two measures previously adopted for the PY 2012 ESRD QIP:This feels wrong to me. Creating an economic incentive that puts the cost of treating anemia on the provider but doesn't provide any minimal goals may result in a race to the lowest hemoglobin. What's to stop a rogue dialysis unit from removing ESAs from their formulary. We can all freely admit that ESAs have some previously under appreciated risks and that our enthusiasm for treating anemia was not entirely evidence-based, but our response to should not be to turn back the calendar to 1988.
- Hemoglobin Greater Than 12g/dL Measure.
- URR Hemodialysis Adequacy Measure.
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After the release of Epo, the transfusion rate plummets. It falls by two thirds in a year and continues to fall so that the current rate of 0.3% per quarter represents a 98% reduction in transfusions. Revolutionary. And this doesn't even begin to address the quality of life brought to dialysis patients by higher hemoglobins. |
Patients deserve an incentive that keeps providers conscious of anemia. In study after study, low hemoglobins walk hand in hand with poor outcomes. The concern regarding anemia has been driven by attempts to normalize hemoglobin. It is clear that normalization is hazardous and without scientific support; however a failure of the experimental group does not mean we should abandon the therapy given to the control group. In every study the control group received ESA to maintain hemoglobins at least 9 g/dL. Removing the hemoglobin floor from the quality measures would be giving a de facto license to withhold an important medication from dialysis patients.
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| The TREAT trial is the best study every done on outcomes in CKD with an ESA. |
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| These dosing groups resulted in an effective separation in hgb with little profound anemia |
I have copied this post to Regulations.gov as my comment on the latest guidelines.
The deadline for comments is August 30th.
A science liaison at Amgen told me that Amgen was advocating for a hemoglobin floor of 10 g/dl. The Renal Physician Association is also supporting a hemoglobin of 10 g/dL. [This paragraph was updated 8/22/11, after a complaint that I mis-interpreted Amgen's position. My apologies.]
I have heard that CMS has received few comments from physicians. Embarrassing. Anemia is important and nephrologists should care how the governments crafts incentives that will change how our patients are treated. Go now and comment. Tell CMS what you think.
