RenaLab

Over the next couple of months, we want to introduce you to the faces and personnel behind our work at RenaLab. We know our field service representatives who you see in your facilities, and our customer service associates who you speak to on the phone, do extraordinary work.

Let us introduce you to our new National Director of Sales, Ken Lowry. In just a few short months, Ken has already strengthened our company with his leadership and approach to new business.

Ken joins our team with amazing work and education background as he holds two degrees, along with more than 28 years of experience in the dialysis industry. Ken’s wife is a professor at a state university. She teaches in the School of Education, working with future teachers who plan to work with students with learning disabilities.

Ken and his wife live in close proximity to both the RenaLab corporate office in Nashville and the RenaLab laboratory in Jackson, MS, giving him the ability to work out of both locations. He will also be traveling throughout the country working with dialysis clinics and physician’s offices for their dialysis lab needs.

In his own words:
“I joined RenaLab because of the people and the reputation of the company. The combination of the people and their experience, along with the company’s highest code of ethics and its desire to serve the clinic, is what makes this organization unique. Their reputation for quality of care, combined with their forward thinking makes the organization the best in the industry.”

Mike Burney addressed the QMS Users Group in Las Vegas, NV, just hours ago. Take a look at what he had to say.

As you know, MIPPA 2008 required implementation of a new ESRD bundled payment system to be effective January 1, 2011. The Secretary is required to establish a payment system under which a single payment, after applicable adjustments, is made to renal dialysis facilities in lieu of any other payment. The term renal dialysis services is defined to include separately billable diagnostic lab services used for the treatment of ESRD currently billable under the basic case mix composite rules.

The proposed rule that came out in the Fall of 2009 stated that all testing ordered by the MCP (physician receiving monthly capitation payments) would be included. Inadvertently, CMS created a situation where the MCP physicians would be discouraged from treating the dialysis patients for non ESRD conditions such as diabetes because the resources would be included in the bundle. It is possible that the MCP physicians would have directed the patient back to a primary physician or sent the patient to the hospital for treatment for what had normally been handled in the dialysis center environment. This would have caused the patients to make even more visits to health care facilities and increased the burden on the ill patients and on the Medicare program.

Fortunately, after a multitude of comments to the proposed rule from patient advocacy groups, dialysis organizations, laboratory associations, and individual care givers, CMS accepted a more condensed list of lab tests to be included in the bundle. The Kidney Care Council had submitted a list of tests that comprised approximately 95% of the normal testing for dialysis patients. The CMS final list includes 53 ESRD related laboratory tests that will be subject to the new ESRD Prospective Payment System. The list appears to have been developed based on ESRD related care, including mandated testing for disease control in a dialysis setting. Notable testing not included in the list was Prothrombin Time testing, diabetic monitoring, therapeutic drug monitoring, non access related cultures, PSA testing for male patients over 50 years of age, and lipid testing.

A very important part of the new bundling rule was the requirement for all MCP ordered laboratory tests provided for the patient to be included on the dialysis center’s claim form. Those tests that are not related to ESRD will be identified by modifiers and a separate payment will be allowed. CMS released the modifiers two hours ago. It is important to note that CMS was clear that it will not preclude ESRD facilities from drawing non-ESRD related lab tests for the benefit of the patients. The language could also lead one to believe that the lab is responsible for submitting claims to CMS similar to the way that non-composite testing is reimbursed today. Also, the facilities can choose to go “all in” on January 1, 2011 or do a partial conversion. Regardless, laboratories will not be able to seek reimbursement from Medicare for ESRD related testing. We are awaiting clarification from CMS regarding this matter. Everyone that I have talked with expects that the dialysis facility claim form will require all ESRD related lab testing be included for informational purposes.

Lastly, the dialysis and lab industries argued that the lab portion of the bundle should not be subject to a 20% copay because of previous mandates. CMS has argued that the ESRD bundle includes lab charges related to the care of dialysis patients and that because this portion is now part of “dialysis related services”, the 20% copay does apply. The rate set for lab testing that is included in the bundle is $8.40 per treatment before deducting the 20% copayment. Assuming 12.5 treatments per month for the average patient, the lab portion of the new bundle equals $84 after the deduction for copayments.

How will laboratories provide the necessary information to the dialysis billing functions? At this time, I understand that lab providers are working with dialysis facility administration to design a standard file that will allow for the electronic transfer of this information. Presently, very little of this functionality exists and if the new regulations were required now, the lab providers could only supply the information on a report that would need to be manually entered by the dialysis provider’s billing department.

RenaLab will be headed to San Antonio this weekend to participate in the ANNA 41st National Symposium. ANNA is one of the most prestigious and largest nursing organizations in the country. They promote excellence by advancing nephrology-nursing practice and positively influence outcomes for patients with kidney disease. We are very excited to attend one of the premier nephrology nurse meetings of the year. Also, RenaLab will not only have a new booth, but we will be unveiling a new collateral at the show.

At RenaLab, we believe in supporting and appreciating the nurses in our healthcare industry. Dialysis nurses are the backbone when assisting with patient dialysis care. They play a vital role in people’s survival rate. Their job tasks involve initiating dialysis in the patients, monitoring the patient and dialysis machine, and terminating the dialysis procedure. They also oversee the patient’s diet and exercise regiments. Dialysis nurses do not only tend to their responsibilities, but they also care and comfort the patients on a daily basis. Our industry would be missing a vital element without their hard work and dedication to the patients.

RenaLab is committed to making the jobs of our nurses as easy as possible. RenaLab created RenaLab Insight™ with the nurse and other members of the team in mind. RenaLab Insight™ generates lab reports in a quick and efficient manner. It is user friendly with features such as easy access to forms and training materials, data sorting by center, modality and clinic role, and pre-populates fields based on your profile. We strive to make RenaLab Insight™ helpful by including multiple reports, customized content and quality assessment within the tool. This allows the clinician to save valuable time while still productively doing their job. At RenaLab, we focus on making tasks for clinicians in the dialysis industry run more smoothly and efficiently to better help the patient’s needs.

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) has been making a difference in the fight against kidney disease in America for 60 years now. RenaLab supports the outstanding work that they do, as education and awareness is very important in the fight against kidney disease.

Did you know that 1 in 9 adults that have chronic kidney disease and 20 million people are at risk? That’s why it’s so important to educate the masses on the different aspects of kidney disease and how they work. NKF’s current public education campaign is called “Love Your Kidneys.” The campaign spotlights what kidneys do, what happens when they do not work correctly, and who is at risk. By educating people through campaigns, NKF hopes that this will show the importance of taking care of your kidneys through early intervention.

There are many ways to get involved with NKF and help improve the lives of those affected by kidney disease. Volunteers are given the opportunity to write articles, review brochures, assist with local Affiliate programs and legislative efforts, and participate in national surveys regarding kidney disease issues. Through NKF you can make many different types of donations such as: a memory donation, text donation of five dollars, private contributions, matching gifts, gift annuity, and kidney car donations. Finally, you can become an organ and/or tissue donor and give someone a second chance at life.

NKF by holds yearly events and seminars to allow people from many different cultural and business backgrounds the opportunity to be involved. RenaLab supports NKF by attending the Spring Clinical Meeting, which gives renal health care providers the chance to learn new developments related to all aspects of nephrology. Through practical workshops, thought-provoking symposia, and informative debates, participants will learn about evolving concepts related to kidney disease.

With NKF going into their 60th year of fighting against kidney disease, it is clear there is no stopping this organization. They are not only touching lives and making difference, but they are saving lives through support and education.

To learn more about NKF and how you can become involved, please visit their site at www.kidney.org.

National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (NMLPW) is an annual celebration of the medical laboratory professionals and pathologists who play a vital role in every aspect of health care. NMLPW is a chance for the 300,000 medical laboratory practitioners in the United States to celebrate their professionalism and be recognized for their efforts. Laboratory professionals work behind the scenes, and many do not even realize how much they do and how they perform critical testing every day. Since the 1920s, dedicated laboratory professionals have worked to diagnose and prevent disease in our nation. As a result of their vital efforts and contributions, countless lives have been saved.

Join RenaLab as we celebrate the 35th year of NMLPW and inform others of the crucial contributions laboratory professionals make in our nation’s healthcare. The theme of this year is “Laboratory Professionals Get Results.” Thus, beyond promoting the quality of public healthcare, NMLPW will work to promote unity and purpose amongst the industry of laboratory professionals. Further, this improved sense of unity will encourage laboratory professionals to enforce higher standards and truly get results.

Lab Professionals Week will be celebrated this year, April 18-24, 2010.

Find the latest on Lab Reporting Systems in the January 2010 issue of Renal Business Today. RenaLab is featured in the article, “What to Look for in a Lab Reporting System”. The article focuses on the importance of lab systems within the healthcare industry due to the extensive amount of data kept on each patient, especially when it comes to end-stage renal disease patients. These specific patients tend to get many tests each month, which is why a quality laboratory reporting system is vital. Mike Burney, CEO of RenaLab, participated in the article, and talked about the importance of choosing the right company and system to work with as today’s systems do so much of the work for the center. RenaLab recently launched Insight, a reporting system that allows clinicians the ability to generate lab reports quickly and efficiently, allowing them more time to focus on their patients.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A LAB REPORTING SYSTEM
It’s no secret that healthcare is data intensive, especially among dialysis patients. Over the past few decades, laboratory companies focusing solely on end-stage renal disease patients have emerged as pivotal data centers that can help dialysis clinics become more efficient in how they care for patients. A quality reporting system is the linchpin that helps clinics achieve this….
Read the complete article at http://www.renalbusiness.com/articles/what-look-for-lab-esrd-reporting.html.

Welcome to the RenaLab blog. RenaLab is committed to keeping our centers and all renal care professionals up to date on our industry. As part of this commitment we have created this blog to not only discuss important topics such as bundling and its effects on our industry, but also what we are doing to help you provide fast and efficient care to your patients. Over the upcoming weeks and months, we hope you will visit the RenaLab blog and utilize this as an open communication tool, and a source for information.

The primary goal for a dialysis center is to provide the best care possible to its patients. In order to help you efficiently track what is going on within your center, our team worked together to make great enhancements to our reporting tool and has created RenaLab Insight™.  RenaLab Insight™ was built to generate lab reports in a quick and efficient manner. Clinicians shouldn’t have to wait for results or reports, and with a well-designed reporting system, clinicians can save valuable time.  Testing practices unique to the nephrology community provide specialty laboratories with the opportunity to create robust reporting systems that can sort data in a number of ways.  One of the most important features is the ability to “roll-up” all patient laboratory data for evaluation from a quality outcomes standpoint.  This type of measuring tool streamlines the clinician’s task of assessing overall progress towards reaching quality goals. In addition, functionality within the system supports easy data sorting and tabbed reporting for maintaining multiple open reports at one time.

We want to hear from you! Give us your feedback on our blog or through RenaLab Insight™, as it has a built in mechanism for communicating suggestions and comments back to the development team.