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End Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices Learning Collaborative (ETCLC)

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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) are proud to announce the new End Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices Learning Collaborative (ETCLC). The ETCLC went live on August 20, 2021 under the CMS Technical Assistance, Quality Improvement, and Learning (TAQIL) contract. To accomplish the goals of the Advancing American Kidney Health initiative CMS created the ETC payment model which encourages preventative kidney care, home dialysis, and kidney transplants. The ETC Learning Collaborative was finalized in the ETC Model Final Rule in September 2020. The ETCLC supports this work which is based on the success of the HRSA Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative and the recent Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Collaborative Innovation and Improvement Network, or COIIN, effort.

The CMS/HRSA ETCLC will engage transplant centers, Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO), large donor hospitals, patients, and donor family members to identify highly effective practices currently in use and spread the use of these practices throughout the organ procurement, kidney care, and kidney transplant community to achieve the following three AIMs:

  • AIM#1 Increase the number of deceased donor kidneys transplanted
    • OPO, transplant program, and patient focused
  • AIM #2 Decrease the current national discard rate of all procured kidneys
    • OPO, transplant program, and patient focused
  • AIM #3 Increase the percentage of change for kidneys recovered for transplant in the 60-85 Kidney Donor Profile Index (KDPI) score group
    • OPO, donor hospital, and donor family focused

Supported by Quality Improvement Coaches, National Faculty, and professional and patient advocacy organizations, the ETCLC will enroll 80% of transplant centers and OPOs plus the two largest donor hospitals in each OPO’s donor service area by November 1, 2021 to participate, collaborate, and change practice to meet the ETCLC AIMs.

The TAQIL contractor team will soon be in touch by email with individuals and organizations with across the procurement, kidney care, and transplantation community to share more details and begin enrollment. Information will also be shared through the ESRD Networks and by more than 20 professional and patient advocacy organizations that have committed to support the ETCLC.

The intentional design of this project to engage the procurement, kidney care, and kidney transplant community is very exciting! Together we will work to overcome any barrier and make systemic changes that lead to sustainable practice improvements and increase the number of lives touched by kidney transplantations.

Sincerely,

The TAQIL Contractor Team
Sara Eve Schaeffer, Health Services Group (HSAG), Project Director
Julie Moss, HSAG
Stephanie Hull, HSAG
Sarah Stout, The Lewin Group
Mark Hawkins, Financial Transformations Inc. (FTI)
Zandra Glenn, FTI

TAQIL aims to use systematic quality and process improvement for greater quality of life for Americans with ESRD
Transplant Connect and Cerner streamline organ donation and transplant process

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