Medicare Program; Standards for Quality of Water Used in Dialysis and Revised Guidelines on Reuse of Hemodialysis Filters for End-Stage Renal Disease Patients

Samenvatting

This proposed rule would revise the conditions for coverage of suppliers of end-stage renal disease services to incorporate by reference standards for monitoring the quality of water used in dialysis as published by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) in ``Hemodialysis Systems'' (2nd Edition). It would also update an existing incorporation by reference to refer to the 1993 edition of AAMI's voluntary guidelines on ``Recommended Practice for Reuse of Hemodialyzers''. These standards and guidelines contain recognized benchmarks for high quality dialysis procedures. Section 1881(b)(1)(A) of the Social Security Act authorizes the Secretary to limit Medicare payment for ESRD services to facilities meeting the requirements prescribed in regulations.