Today, Representatives Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) and John Lewis (D-GA) introduced a bill to provide independent accreditation for dialysis facilities to ensure that patients have access to medical treatment at newly opened centers without significant delay.

“At present, there are approximately 3,200 Kansans on dialysis. Dialysis centers specialize in the removal of water and waste from the blood of people with diminished or lost kidney function. So to say that dialysis patients need these centers to survive is not an overstatement,” said Congresswoman Jenkins. “And yet, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) classifies the inspection of new dialysis centers a ‘Tier III’ priority, meaning that facilities must wait months or even years to receive CMS certification. For instance, though a new dialysis center in Topeka applied for inspection in October 2015, it was informed 10 months later that it would have to wait at least another 13 months (until September 2017) to be surveyed. Without such CMS accreditation, most insurance plans will not cover patient visits to this site, rendering it largely impotent.”

“I am pleased to join Congressman John Lewis to this important bill that will provide under the Medicare program independent third party accreditation for dialysis centers. With this change to Medicare, folks on dialysis won’t have to feel the pinch of bureaucratic red tape preventing them from receiving this necessary medical treatment,” continued Congresswoman Jenkins. “With this legislation, the CMS certification process will be streamlined so that these centers can serve their many patients in Kansas and across the U.S. without delay.”