Network Goals
CMS establishes priorities for the ESRD Network contractors annually in the Statement of Work (PDF) section of each Network’s contract with the agency. These priorities support CMS and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) national quality improvement goals and priorities.
ESRD Network contractors are tasked to:
Improving care for ESRD patients in the Network’s service area by:
o Promoting patient- and family-centered care;
o Responding to grievances about ESRD-related services filed by, or on behalf of, ESRD patients;
o Supporting improvement in patients’ experience of care;
o Working with dialysis facilities to ensure that all dialysis patients have access to appropriate care;
o Promoting best practices in vascular access management; and
o Helping dialysis facilities reduce the incidence of healthcare-associated infections
o Improving the health of the ESRD patient population in the Network’s service area through activities designed to reduce disparities in ESRD care; and
o Reducing the costs of ESRD care in the Network’s service area by supporting performance improvement at the dialysis facility level and supporting facilities’ submission of data to CMS-designated data collection systems.
The Network works in collaboration with its Network Council, Medical Review Board, Patient Advisory Committee, Grievance Committee, and Network activity-specific committees to develop quality improvement projects aligned with the goals identified by CMS for the ESRD Network program. The Network deploys interventions that target patients, dialysis and transplant providers, and other stakeholders. These interventions, which focus on engaging patients, reducing disparities, and improving quality of care for ESRD patients are integrated into our QIAs located here.