Jun 2
Legislation that relates to the Kidney Dialysis Patient Protection Act can be affected by using direct participatory democracy, according to two speakers at the Renal Physicians Association’s Nephrology Coverage Advocacy Program Forum. Bryan Wong, MD, a board member from the California Dialysis Council, and Henry L. Wehrum, DO, a private-practice nephrologist from Ohio, spoke about their efforts to address the California Fair Pricing for Dialysis Act and the Kidney Dialysis Patient Protection Amendment, respectively. Specifically, Wong spoke about California Senate Bill 349, the Dialysis Patient Safety Act, which he called “in essence, a staffing ratio bill.” He also spoke about California Assembly Bill 251, which mandates minimum expenditures of 85% of “treatment revenue” on the sum of direct patient care services costs, health care quality improvement costs, and taxes and fees. He called Assembly Bill 251 a companion bill to Senate Bill 349.