Press Releases

Today, Congresswomen Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and Carol Miller (WV-01) welcomed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) decision to include home dialysis services for patients with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in their Calendar Year 2025 (CY25) End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Proposed Rule.

AKI treatment often requires a hospital stay during which patients receive dialysis with the hopes of regaining kidney function. A high percentage of ICU patients, including 20-40% with COVID-19 during the peak of the pandemic, developed AKI and required emergency dialysis.

While Medicare covers both in-center and home dialysis for people with kidney failure, AKI patients currently can only access in-center dialysis, leaving thousands without the option of dialyzing at home. Home dialysis for AKI will allow patients to receive care in a more comfortable setting, have more control over their schedules, and potentially avoid their condition worsening to kidney failure that requires permanent dialysis or transplant.

“We can make a difference for the 37 million Americans living with kidney diseases by advancing policies that improve their lives and health outcomes. This includes expanding access to home dialysis so patients aren’t forced to go to a center for hours a day to receive this life-sustaining care. Empowering patients with in-home treatments leads to better health outcomes and dramatic improvements in quality of life. It’s clear the U.S. is way behind our allies in providing this care option. I’m pleased that CMS has followed our call and is proposing to cover this option for the thousands of Medicare patients with acute kidney injury and urge them to quickly finalize this rule. I look forward to working with CMS to continue finding ways to improve the lives of Americans living with kidney diseases,” said DelBene.

“Allowing patients to receive dialysis services from the comfort of their home can dramatically improve physical health outcomes, mental health, and quality of life. I, along with Congresswoman DelBene, sent a letter to CMS to advocate for access to at home dialysis treatments, for patients with acute kidney injury, and I am thrilled that CMS listened. Patients with AKI often require dialysis even after they are stable enough to leave the hospital, and this policy will give those patients the freedom and flexibility to dialyze and regain kidney function at home. We appreciate CMS taking active steps to grant more coverage to those who need it most,” said Miller.

In October 2023, DelBene and Miller led a letter to CMS asking for coverage of home dialysis services for Medicare patients with AKI.

In June, CMS released the CY25 ESRD PPS Proposed Rule, which proposes to extend Medicare payment to dialysis in the home setting for beneficiaries with AKI.