The bill also requires the bundling of payments for dialysis drugs,
testing supplies, and other elements into a single, more cost effective
payment for the treatment of End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) by 2011.
The changes that will take place in the near future will have a tremendous
impact on kidney patients. RSN encourages everyone to get involved and learn about
the issues and speak up!
With the current growth rate of people who will need dialysis in the future, it
is inevitable that some form of bundling will be implemented. Patients are
concerned that sudden revisions in the reimbursement policy toward a bundled
reimbursement approach may unintentionally lead to a decrease in patient’s
quality of care, quality of life or potentially impacting access to care. It is
critical to have an understanding of all the complexities that may impact how
care is provided under a bundled model before such a model is implemented.
