The Comprehensive Kidney Care Contracting (CKCC) Model has helped nephrologists, dialysis providers, transplant professionals, and care teams move beyond fragmented care and invest in earlier intervention, better care coordination, dialysis preparation, home dialysis, transplant referrals, and patient engagement.
Independent Analysis Shows Stronger Savings Potential
Wakely, an independent actuarial firm, reassessed CKCC’s early financial performance by applying 2026 policies retrospectively to 2023 and 2024. The results show a very different financial picture
- $26 million in net savings to CMS in 2023
- $90 million in net savings to CMS in 2024Those potential net savings jump to $112 million and $118 million in 2023 and 2024 respectively if current model participants were in full-risk tracks.
One- and two-year evaluations of CKCC are likely to understate the model’s effectiveness. The Medicare Shared Savings Program did not produce net savings for CMS until its fifth year and has now returned more than $12 billion in savings to CMS.
The Kidney Care Community Has a Roadmap
A4H’s Kidney Care Coalition recommends targeted changes to strengthen accountable kidney care and improve long-term viability.
Key recommendations include:
CMS Should Ensure Continuity for Accountable Kidney Care After 2027
CKCC ends in 2027. Without a clear successor pathway, Medicare risks losing the infrastructure nephrologists and kidney care organizations have built. CMS should immediately announce plans for continuous access to accountable kidney care for the future.
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A4H’s Kidney Care Coalition outlines a roadmap to strengthen and sustain specialty-focused kidney care models in Medicare. The paper offers policy recommendations to improve stability, expand participation, strengthen accountability, and ensure continued access to value-based kidney care beyond 2027.
A4H’s Kidney Care Coalition partnered with independent actuaries at Wakely to reassess the early financial performance of Medicare’s Comprehensive Kidney Care Contracting Model. The analysis found the model could have generated meaningful net Medicare savings under CMS’s 2026 policy changes, with savings expected to grow as providers gain experience and care transformation efforts mature.
Accountable for Health and the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care drafted recommendations that would strengthen the Comprehensive Kidney Care Contracting model and offer a broader roadmap for advancing care for people with serious and chronic illnesses.
