 Project Guidelines

IPRO ESRD Networks are tasked by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to work with facilities to increase the utilization of home therapies.

Home dialysis modalities are underutilized in the USA with only 8% of patients utilizing home dialysis versus 92% being treated at in-center hemodialysis facilities[1].

CMS has set a 5-year target to improve the health of all people in the United States living with ESRD.  This goal for 2023 is to increase the number of patients dialyzing at home to 16%.  (The 2018 NY State average was 7%)

The intent of the Home Dialysis QIA is to promote referral to home dialysis modalities, identify and mitigate the barriers to timely referral, and determine the steps patients and providers can take to improve referral patterns. Networks shall increase the number of patients on a home modality by participating in the ESRD NCC Home Dialysis LAN, and assisting dialysis facilities in the implementation of interventions to support patients through the process of training to dialyze at home.

[1] Thinking outside the box—identifying patients for home dialysis. Brigitte Schiller, Hayley Munroe, and Andrea Neitzer

Criteria: Include at least 30% of facilities in Network service area

Goal: 2 percentage point increase in natural trend in home therapies utilization over baseline

Baseline Data: 5 year average trend of patients utilizing Home Therapies (10/2013 - 9/2018)

Re-Measurement Data: Data for this QIA will be extracted from facility monthly CROWNWeb data, and will be provided to the Network by the ESRD National Coordinating Center (NCC). Final re-measure will be September 2019 data.