The US Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is the branch of the government that reimburses dialysis clinics for the majority of the costs associated with long-term dialysis treatment. The CMS was assigned this responsibility many years ago because of the extreme costs associated with treatment and the inability of most patients to pay. In 2008, the CMS established new guidelines for compensation. The new rules for coverage must be followed in order for a facility to receive federal reimbursement.
The revised federal rules outlined in 42 CFR Part 494.140 are designed to focus on improving the care provided to patients. Federal requirements that are included in this legislation seek to establish up-to-date performance expectations for facilities, encourage patients to participate in their plan of care and treatment, eliminate the procedural requirements from the previous conditions for coverage, promote patient safety, and encourage continuous quality improvement. No changes to dialysis treatment regulations had been made since 1976 prior to the adoption of this updated legislation on October 14th, 2008. …Click Here to Continue Reading