In the previous section, we outlined the value-based incentive programs implemented by the CMS. One of those programs was the ESRD quality incentive program, which financially rewards dialysis facilities based on the quality of care that they provide to Medicare patients with ESRD. We described 16 measures by which each ESRD case is evaluated.

In this section, we will download the data published by the CMS on dialysis center performance across the US. We will use Python commands to wrangle this data to extract the information we can use to find out which centers are performing well and which ones may benefit from an analytic solution. Proper targeting of marketing and sales efforts will increase the efficiency of analytic solutions.