Background On July 10, 2019, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order to launch Advancing American Kidney Health, a new initiative designed to improve the lives of Americans with kidney disease by expanding treatment options and reducing health care costs. The initiative proposes various changes, including revising rules to ensure kidneys reach patients quicker, moving more patients into home dialysis, encouraging development of artificial kidneys, increasing the number of kidneys available for transplantation, and changing reimbursement for kidney disease treatment. As directed by the Executive Order, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), through its Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), released a proposed required payment model and four optional payment models to adjust payment incentives to encourage preventative kidney care, home dialysis, and kidney transplants. The Department’s Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) also released a paper entitled Advancing American Kidney Health. Executive Order Advancing American Kidney Health (HHS wepage) Advancing American Kidney Health (HHS document, 7/10/19) Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health (7/10/19) HHS Launches President Trump’s ‘Advancing American Kidney Health’ Initiative (HHS Press Release, 7/10/19) HHS To Transform Care Delivery for Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CMS Press Release, 7/10/19) Advancing American Kidney Health Paper HHS Marks One-Year Anniversary of Advancing American Kidney Health Initiative (HHS Press Release, 7/10/20) HHS Reports Progress on President Trump's 'Advancing American Kidney Health' Initiative (HHS Press Release, 8/17/20) Advancing American Kidney Health: 2020 Progress Report (HHS, 8/17/20) Activities & Implementation CMS ESRD Treatment Choices (ETC) Model CMS Final Rule: Medicare Program; Specialty Care Models to Improve Quality of Care and Reduce Expenditures (CMS-5527-F) (9/18/20) Comparison Chart (Proposed and Final Rules, CMS-5527) ~ outlines recommendations submitted by ANNA to CMS regarding the Proposed Rule and how the Final Rule aligns with those recommendations CMS Press Release: CMS Announces Transformative New Model of Care for Medicare Beneficiaries with Chronic Kidney Disease (9/18/20) CMS Fact Sheet: ESRD Treatment Choices (ETC) Fact Sheet (9/18/20) ANNA Submits Comments to CMS Regarding CMS-5527-P: Medicare Program; Specialty Care Models to Improve Quality of Care and Reduce Expenditures (9/16/19) Letter from the Alliance for Home Dialysis to CMS Regarding CMS-5527-P: Medicare Program; Specialty Care Models to Improve Quality of Care and Reduce Expenditures (9/16/19) Letter from Kidney Care Partners to CMS Regarding CMS-5527-P: Medicare Program; Specialty Care Models to Improve Quality of Care and Reduce Expenditures (9/15/19) CMS Proposed Rule: Medicare Program; Specialty Care Models to Improve Quality of Care and Reduce Expenditures (CMS-5527-P) (7/18/19) CMS Fact Sheet: Proposed ESRD Treatment Choices (ETC) Mandatory Model (7/10/19) CMS Kidney Care Choices Model CMS Fact Sheet: Kidney Care Choices Model (12/4/19) CMS Fact Sheet: Kidney Care First and Comprehensive Kidney Care Contracting Models (7/10/19) Organ Donation CMS Final Rule: Medicare & Medicaid Programs; Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) Conditions for Coverage Proposed Rule: Revisions to Outcome Measures for OPOs (CMS-3380-F) (11/20/20) CMS Fact Sheet: Medicare & Medicaid Programs; Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) Conditions for Coverage Proposed Rule: Revisions to Outcome Measures for OPOs (11/20/20) Removing Financial Disincentives to Living Organ Donation (Final Rule, HRSA, 9/22/20) Reimbursement of Travel and Subsistence Expenses Toward Living Organ Donation Program Eligibility Guidelines (Final Rule, HRSA, 9/22/20) New Rule Expands the Scope of Reimbursable Expenses for Living Organ Donation (HRSA, 9/18/20) CMS Proposed Rule: Medicare & Medicaid Programs; Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) Conditions for Coverage Proposed Rule: Revisions to Outcome Measures for OPOs (CMS-3380-P) (12/23/19) CMS Fact Sheet: Medicare & Medicaid Programs; Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) Conditions for Coverage Proposed Rule: Revisions to Outcome Measures for OPOs (12/17/19) Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Proposed Rule: Removing Financial Disincentives to Living Organ Donation (42 CFR Part 121) (12/20/19) HRSA Fact Sheet: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to amend the regulations implementing the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 (NOTA) (12/19) HHS Press Release: Trump Administration Proposes New Rules to Increase Accountability and Availability of the Organ Supply (12/17/19) Response from ANNA "The Advancing American Kidney Health initiative provides an opportunity for nephrology nurses and the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA) to be strategic and forward thinking about what we have to offer as a profession," said 2019 ANNA President Tamara Kear, PhD, RN, CNS, CNN, FAAN. "Successful implementation of the initiative will require the active involvement of nephrology nurses who possess the necessary education, training, and clinical skills to provide the most effective care to patients with kidney disease in all settings. Nephrology nurses must not only be at the table as the American Kidney Health initiative is implemented, we must have a leading role as full partners with the HHS and CMS, industry leaders, practitioners, and patient organizations as the initiative moves forward. ANNA and our colleagues in the kidney care community will continue to work together to share updated information and resources with our members throughout this process." News & Updates ANNA Submits Comments to CMS Regarding CMS-1732-P: Medicare Program; ESRD PPS, Payment for Renal Dialysis Services Furnished to Individuals with AKI, ESRD QIP (9/4/20) An Opportunity to Advance Kidney Health Becomes a Responsibility (Nephrology Nursing Journal, July/August 2020) Implications of Proposed Changes to Models of Care for Kidney Disease (American Journal of Nursing, July 2020) Investment in Time, Resources Needed to Prepare Nephrology Nurses for Training Patients and Caregivers in Home Dialysis Delivery (Kidney News Online, February 2020) Advancing American Kidney Health – The Time for Nurses to Act Is Now (Nephrology Nursing Journal, November/December 2019) Nurses Look at Challenges, Opportunities of Advancing American Kidney Health (Nephrology News & Issues, December 2019) An Era of Transformation (Nephrology Nursing Journal, September/October 2019) ANNA Submits Comments to CMS Regarding CMS-1713-P: Medicare Program; ESRD PPS, Payment for Renal Dialysis Services Furnished to Individuals with AKI, ESRD QIP (9/25/19) ANNA Submits Comments to CMS Regarding CMS-5527-P: Medicare Program; Specialty Care Models to Improve Quality of Care and Reduce Expenditures (9/16/19) Updated 12/4/20