December 2, 2005 - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released an Excel spreadsheet that calculates predicted reimbursement for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients.

The ESRD Calculator, for dates of service in 2005 and 2006, can be accessed here (Excel).

The ESRD Calculator is a spreadsheet that allows users to enter information to predict reimbursement based on various patient characteristics. Therefore, it may be especially useful for providers (such as those who are considering to give up their exception rate) who are interested in forecasting payment for the services they provide. In addition, it may be helpful to providers who wish to calculate the payment they will receive for a particular claim (in order to accurately post accounts receivable), or even to simply validate that they have received correct payment for a claim upon receipt of their Medicare remittance advice.

Because the CMS ESRD web site is currently under a "freeze" while it undergoes a re-design process, the ESRD Calculator will not be available on "ESRD Information Resource for Medicare" web site (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/providers/esrd.asp) until on or around December 18, 2005.