Public Release: November 8, 2004

Media Contact:
Kerry Colligan
Communications Manager, URREA
(734) 665-4108
kcolligan@urrea.org

URREA to Embark on New Analysis of Quality Incentive Payments for CMS

URREA, in conjunction with the Kidney Epidemiology and Cost Center at the University of Michigan (KECC), was recently awarded the CMS-funded contract, "Implementation Support for the Quality Incentive Payment of the ESRD Disease Management Demonstration, Implementation and Support for an Advisory Board for the ESRD Bundled Case-Mix Adjusted Demonstration." The project involves collaboration on two important end-stage renal disease (ESRD) demonstrations that aim to improve the quality of care for kidney dialysis patients:

• Calculating the quality incentive payment for the ESRD Disease Management Demonstration (for which URREA is the primary contractor)
• Implementing and supporting an advisory board for the ESRD Bundled Case-Mix Adjusted Demonstration, including research on payment methodology, clinical factors, and other issues as they pertain to a bundled case-mix adjusted payment system for ESRD

The URREA-led team, with multidisciplinary experts from KECC, will bring extensive professional and organizational capability to bear on this project. Under the leadership of Drs. Port, Hirth, and Wolfe, the project will involve cost analysis using both primary and secondary data sources, formulating the methodology/analysis plan for the incentive payment and bundled case-mix adjusted payments, and analyzing ESRD data. Investigating ESRD outcomes, costs, and payment structures in the context of health system changes stands at the center of this team's core research interest and expertise. The research team at URREA and KECC is pleased to have this opportunity to help improve patient care by building on its experience in health services research, and Medicare delivery and payment systems.

URREA is a not-for-profit organization with a unique combination of expertise in the design and execution of research studies including primary data collection and the development of large clinical databases and state-of-the-art statistical analyses. URREA's goal is to improve patient outcomes through research and education. For more information on URREA, please visit www.urrea.org.