CMS Enhances Dialysis Facility Quality Transparency with DFCC Tool

The Dialysis Facility Care Compare (DFCC) tool on Medicare.gov, managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), provides key data on dialysis clinics and their quality of patient care. Central to this tool is the Quality of Patient Care Star Rating system, introduced in 2015 to enhance transparency and support informed decisions by patients and healthcare consumers. These star ratings summarize the quality of care dialysis clinics provide, reflecting CMS’s response to calls for standardized quality measurement in kidney disease care. Additionally, DFCC incorporates star ratings derived from patient experience surveys, specifically the In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (ICH CAHPS) survey. These ratings, ranging from one to five stars, represent patient feedback on their care experiences in dialysis clinics. Recently, CMS has launched a new Provider Data Catalog to facilitate easier access and downloading of public data on healthcare providers, alongside improvements to the Medicare compare websites. CMS also offers subscription options for stakeholders to receive regular updates on various CMS topics. The Medicare.gov Care Compare resources serve as comprehensive, transparent tools for evaluating dialysis facility performance, supporting payer decisions, provider assessments, and regulatory compliance monitoring in the dialysis care sector.