Dear Renal Community:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be hosting a series of End-Stage-Renal-Disease Stakeholder Meetings to discuss the End-Stage-Renal-Disease (ESRD) Network (NW) Program. The purpose of these meetings is to provide an opportunity for interested stakeholders to provide vital input and recommendations on the program moving forward.

The Office of Clinical Standards and Quality (OCSQ), is currently conducting an evaluation of the ESRD NW program. The results and recommendations developed from the evaluation will provide the steps to improving the program. OCSQ recognizes this assessment is essential to moving the program forward to meet the present needs and demands of Medicare beneficiaries in the rapidly growing field of end stage renal disease. As well as, transitioning the program to achieve even greater strength in the following areas:

• Value
• Attribution
• Oversight
• Improved Outcomes

Since 2006, OCSQ has been engaged in redesigning the QIO program. The redesign efforts have been essential in developing the framework for the new contract period. These changes are captured in the recently released 9th SoW Request for Proposal (RFP). The changes are not limited to only the RFP documents. Change extends to several other areas as well, including the principles under which the scope of work is developed, fundamental methods of contracting, (including methods of contract awards), and, especially, contract evaluation and monitoring. Our goal is to apply these concepts to the ESRD NW program. We welcome your feedback during the stakeholder meetings to discuss how these changes can be applied to the program.

These meetings will occur during the months of August and September 2008. We will conduct five separate meetings targeted for the following groups:

Each meeting will be a participatory dialogue focused on key questions; we encourage you to review the materials in advance of each meeting and come prepared to share your feedback and recommendations during the dialogue session at the meeting. To assist you in determining the appropriate representatives, we have enclosed the agendas and questions for each stakeholder session.

For the meetings held at CMS Headquarters in the Multipurpose Room, we must limit participants to four individuals from your organization who can communicate quality insights that your organization can contribute. You may access up-to-date information on these meetings here, under the section titled "Events". All participants must register at ESRDNW_StakeholderMeeting2008@cms.hhs.gov, in order to attend.