DFC Technical Expert Panel Nominations

CMS has commissioned UM-KECC to assemble 10-20 volunteers for a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to formulate a process for periodically resetting ESRD clinical quality Star-Rating criteria so that the Ratings continue to differentiate facility quality of care when treatment-quality trends reduce the variation between facilities. Volunteers will include patients, caregivers, ESRD subject matter experts, methodologists, and specialists working on dialysis QI and healthcare disparities. The TEP will require a one-day in-person meeting in Baltimore in June, plus 3-7 conference calls before and after. Nominations must be submitted by April 5, 2019. The current call for nominations doesn’t mention it, but past TEPs have reimbursed travel expenses. For details and nomination forms, see https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/MMS/TEP-Currently-Accepting-Nominations.html#a0305.