As a contractor for Medicare, Kepro serves as the Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization, also referred to as a BFCC-QIO. While Kepro provides BFCC-QIO services in 29 states, the general information is relevant to everyone who has Medicare (including Medicare Advantage) and everyone who works with people who have Medicare. 

This episode is a conversation with our guest, Sara Eve Schaeffer, MBA, MA, RD, Director. She works with Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG) in their ESRD National Coordinating Center (NCC).

With 15+ years of experience in kidney care, Sara Eve Schaeffer has worked across the spectrum of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). She has led national ESRD projects for the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) kidney-focused contracts. Sara Eve is also a seasoned strategic operations expert, having served as Vice President of Strategic Operations at a kidney-focused population health company. She serves on the Board of Directors for the American Association of Kidney Patients. She maintains her registered dietitian credentials and holds a Master of Arts degree in Nutrition Education from Immaculata University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Temple University.

In this podcast, Ms. Schaeffer will share information about end-stage renal disease and how it is diagnosed. She will also explain why Medicare focuses on ESRD. She will provide information on the ESRD Network as well as other Medicare contractors that work with ESRD.

For more information about Kepro BFCC-QIO, please visit www.keproqio.com.

KEY TOPICS

00:29: Overview, introduction of guest, Sara Eve Schaeffer, MBA, MA, RD
 02:03: What is end-stage renal disease (ESRD)?
 03:24: Diagnosing ESRD
 04:12: Why is Medicare focused on ESRD?
 06:25: What is the ESRD Network?
10:05: What is an ESRD NCC?
12:25: What is KCER?
14:36: Final thoughts

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RESOURCES

BFCC-QIO Information for stakeholders: www.keproqio.com/partners
BFCC-QIO Information for people who have Medicare: www.keproqio.com/bene

Kidney health resources:

ESRD Networks: https://www.cms.gov/training-education/open-door-forums/end-stage-renal-disease-clinical-laboratories-esrd/network
ESRD NCC: https://esrdncc.org/en/

Music: Motivational Upbeat Corporate by RinkevichMusic https://soundcloud.com/rinkevichmusic
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Video Link: https://bit.ly/3NNqGTs