The federal government has announced a federal rulemaking proposal that would extend Medicare coverage to include in-home dialysis for patients with acute kidney injury. Besides increasing overall expenditures in 2025 on the ESRD payment system by 2.2 percent, or around $170 million, the update includes a proposal to increase patient options for dialysis treatment for Medicare beneficiaries with acute kidney injury.
For 2025, CMS is proposing to allow Medicare beneficiaries with acute kidney injury to receive dialysis at home. The agency also proposes that dialysis facilities be allowed to bill Medicare for training patients with acute kidney injury to perform in-home dialysis. The agency also plans to update the payment rate for acute kidney injury dialysis to $273.
20, which is the same as the base rate for regular dialysis. The proposal represents a significant shift in CMS policy as, under current Medicare rules, only in-center dialysis is covered for beneficiaries with acute kidney injury who are not hospitalized. CMS said in the announcement that dialysis-dependent patients with acute kidney injury have the potential to recover kidney function and avoid long-term dialysis.
The agency added that providing such beneficiaries with more flexible treatment options like in-home dialysis would encourage more frequent dialysis at lower ultrafiltration rates, supporting recovery of kidney function in patients with acute kidney injury. If the rule is ultimately adopted, Medicare c.