I have heard that while some states mandate that re-use not occur, New Jersey is not one of those states. Can anyone confirm this and if so, what can I do to ensure that new dializers are used? Who can I contact to make these changes? Any help or suggestions on this would be much appreciated.

Karen,

There are no states that mandate single use only.

Chuck

All dialysis patients are guaranteed the right to a new dialyzer every treatment as the cost of a new dialyzer is paid for in the Medicare reimbursement fee. The sign up papers you are given when you first become a patient, have a section that states you may choose either reuse or non-resuse. That is where you establish that you choose non-reuse.

quote:

Originally posted by patient:
All dialysis patients are guaranteed the right to a new dialyzer every treatment as the cost of a new dialyzer is paid for in the Medicare reimbursement fee. The sign up papers you are given when you first become a patient, have a section that states you may choose either reuse or non-resuse. That is where you establish that you choose non-reuse.

Is this also true in the case where a double dialyzer is needed? My father is a bigger man who requires a double dialyzer to get a decent treatment. Any thoughts you have would be appreciated.

I have never been able to find were it is stated that CMS will pay for a new dialyzer. All I can find is that CMS will pay a certain amount for a dialysis treatmednt. Could some one point out were in the CMS regulations it is statted that a new dialyzer is to be paid for???

CMS does not say anything about dialyzers. What you sign at the beginning of treatment is a consent form. The consent form has a section where it tells you the center does reuse. If you do not sign this section they can not do reuse. You can also change your mind at any point in time.

Karen,
Reuse is a patient's choice. Reuse when properly performed has many advantages over single use. Dialyzers used in conjunction with reuse are more efficient than those used for single use. The National Kidney Fundation has some good information about this issue.
Also, medicare pays a fix amount of many per dialysis treatment. It does not matter if you "do" or "do not" reuse dialyzers.

From: 42 CFR Ch. IV (10�1�01 Edition) these are the conditions of coverage from October of 2001 and I do not think they have been updated. Here is a link: http://www.esrdnetwork.org/docs/2001SubpartU.pdf
It requires a PDF reader which can be downloaded for free or do a google search for " 405.2150 Condition: Reuse of hemodialyzers and other dialysis supplies" this is the actual referance in the Federal Register.

One important element is that the Federal Register references "ANSI/AAMI RD47:2002 Reuse of hemodialyzers the consolidated text of 2002 edition and March 2003 amendment" this publication provides the standards that a dialysis unit must follow when reusing dialyzers or blood tubing. FYI the AAMI is the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation.

You could also go to the American Association of Kidney Patients web site and read a January 2002 article that does a nice job explaining reuse. http://www.aakp.org/Reuse.htm

Karen if my father, also a large man, needed dialysis I would encourage him to find, in decending order of preference, a program that offers Daily Home Nocturnal dialysis, Short Daily Home Hemo, three times a week incenter Nocturnal Hemodialysis. I believe that frequency and length of treatment matter more than getting the most waste out of the blood when it is cycled through the blood tubing, regardless of how many dialyzers are part of the circuit.