THE LAW
| RESOURCE | WHAT IT IS | WHEN YOU’D REACH FOR IT | LINK | CHECKED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eCFR — 42 CFR Part 494 | The Conditions for Coverage, in the always-current official text | When you need the actual words of the law, as they stand today | eCFR ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
| Federal Register — CMS documents | Every proposed and final rule, from the source of record | When a rule is proposed or final and you want the document, not the coverage of it | Federal Register ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
THE GUIDANCE
| RESOURCE | WHAT IT IS | WHEN YOU’D REACH FOR IT | LINK | CHECKED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Operations Manual, Appendix H | The ESRD survey guidance and protocol, in their current home (as of May 2026) | Before a survey—this is what the surveyor walks in with | CMS PDF ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
| ESRD Interpretive Guidance v1.1 (2008) | The V-tag text and the Measures Assessment Tool—still the substantive interpretive corpus | When you need what a V-tag actually says, tag by tag | CMS PDF ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
| CMS QSO memoranda | Policy memos to the state survey agencies—how guidance changes between rule cycles | When something shifted and no rule explains it | CMS ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
THE SCOREBOARD
| RESOURCE | WHAT IT IS | WHEN YOU’D REACH FOR IT | LINK | CHECKED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Care Compare — dialysis facilities | The public star ratings and quality scores, facility by facility | When you want to see what a patient sees | Medicare ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
| QCOR | Survey results and certification data, straight from the oversight system | When you want survey history, not star ratings | QCOR ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
| Dialysis Facility Reports | UM-KECC’s facility reports—the report a surveyor reads before the visit | Before the surveyor does | DFR ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
THE DATA
| RESOURCE | WHAT IT IS | WHEN YOU’D REACH FOR IT | LINK | CHECKED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USRDS Annual Data Report | The national registry—incidence, prevalence, outcomes, cost, about two years behind | When you need the epidemiology, not the machinery | USRDS ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
| CDC NHSN — dialysis | The national infection-surveillance component dialysis events report into | When infection data is the question | CDC ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
THE MONEY
| RESOURCE | WHAT IT IS | WHEN YOU’D REACH FOR IT | LINK | CHECKED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMS — ESRD PPS | The payment system’s official page—base rate, wage index, TDAPA, the annual rule | Each July and November, when the rule cycle turns | CMS ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
| CMS — ESRD QIP | The pay-for-performance program—measures, scoring, payment years | When a score on the wall needs explaining | CMS ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
| MedPAC | The commission that reads payment adequacy back to Congress | When you want the margin picture nobody at the chairside sees | MedPAC ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
THE PRACTICE AND THE MACHINERY
| RESOURCE | WHAT IT IS | WHEN YOU’D REACH FOR IT | LINK | CHECKED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KDOQI guidelines | The National Kidney Foundation’s clinical practice guidelines—the targets above the floor | When “what does good look like” is the question, not “what is required” | NKF ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
| ISPD guidelines | The International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis—the PD practice standards | When the modality is PD and the HD playbook doesn’t transfer | ISPD ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
| The ESRD Networks | The eighteen regional organizations between CMS and every facility—the county seats most staff have never heard of | When a grievance, a placement, or a quality initiative needs its region | ESRD Networks ↗ | 2026-07-10 |
| OPTN | The transplant network—allocation policy and the waitlist machinery | When the question crosses from the chair to the organ | OPTN ↗ | 2026-07-10 |