Medicare program; end-stage renal disease program; prospective reimbursement for dialysis services and approval of special purpose renal dialysis facilities--HCFA. Final rule.

These regulations change the reimbursement system by which Medicare pays for outpatient maintenance dialysis and related physician and laboratory services. These changes establish a prospective method of payment for maintenance dialysis, whether furnished at home or in a hospital-based or independent dialysis facility, and revise other aspects of the reimbursement system to encourage home dialysis and provide incentives for economy and efficiency in furnishing these services. These amendments implement section 2145 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981. We expect that these changes will improve our administration of the end-stage renal disease program and enable us to control the rapidly growing costs of furnishing dialysis. The controls on quality of care that have been in effect since the beginning of the program will continue to apply. These regulations will also ensure access to care by providing for adequate reimbursement to isolated, essential facilities, where patients have no alternative sources of dialysis care. These regulations also provide for time-limited approval for Medicare participation of special purpose renal dialysis facilities. As a general rule we have not approved facilities such as transient or mobile units set up for emergency purposes or to serve vacationing dialysis patients in State parks and children's camps. This change in regulations will remove this limitation.