CMS Releases 2018 Rule Update for End-State Renal Disease

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 29, 2017)—CMS released proposed 2018 changes to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System and related kidney/renal disease regulations. While the previous ESRD regulatory update also included provisions related to the durable medical equipment (DME) competitive program covering surety bonds, licensure requirements, and the application of bidding-derived pricing to rural/non-bid areas, the new rule appears to have no changes related to competitive bidding program or DME.

“The competitive bidding program for home medical equipment would benefit from significant structural reforms, and providers serving rural communities desperately need relief from recent drastic cuts,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of the American Association for Homecare. 

“More than 150 members of Congress recently endorsed sensible regulatory fixes for HME,” Ryan added. “We are engaging CMS on the issues raised in that strong Congressional letter and we hope to see them addressed in separate regulatory guidance in the future.”

“Without relief in these areas, more companies will be forced to cut back on the products they carry or even leave the business completely,” Ryan concluded. “As a result, patient access to HME will suffer, and many Medicare beneficiaries will inevitably require costly hospitalizations and other clinical interventions.”

View CMS’s regulatory update here.

Visit aahomecare.org for more information.