Operationalizing Telehealth for Home Dialysis Patients in the United States
Until January 2019, Medicare beneficiaries requiring maintenance dialysis therapy were eligible for telehealth services only if the originating site was located in a rural area and the patient was situated in an authorized facility. Free-standing dialysis facilities and the patient’s home were clearly restricted sites. Beginning in 2019, new opportunities are available for home dialysis patients in the United States to engage in telehealth; these include existing waivers within End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Seamless Care Organizations (ESCOs) participating in the Comprehensive ESRD Care demonstration project and, more broadly, for most prevalent home dialysis patients based on legislation within the 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act.