How is a facility’s performance in the ESRD QIP communicated to the facility and the public?
Facilities are able to preview their ESRD QIP measure scores and Total Performance Scores after the close of the performance period and prior to the implementation of payment reductions and public reporting. This Preview Period typically occurs in the July – August timeframe. Once scores are finalized, the scores are provided to facilities and are made available to the general public.
Facility performance in the ESRD QIP is publicly reported through three mechanisms. CMS produces a Performance Score Certificate (PSC) summarizing a facility’s performance, which facilities are required to display in a public area. A section of Medicare’s publicly available website, Dialysis Facility Compare (DFC), also provides searchable information about individual facilities. CMS also releases detailed facility information each year in a file titled “ESRD QIP Dialysis Facility Performance Information.” It is posted on a CMS-approved website.