Calif. Introduces Dialysis Technician Certification BillCopyright 2009 by Virgo Publishing.
http://www.renalbusiness.com/Posted on: 02/03/2009
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—A state senator introduced a bill Jan. 29 that would set state standards to certify dialysis technicians so that California dialysis clinics can comply with new federal rules and continue receiving federal reimbursement.
The Hemodialysis Technician Training Act (SB 112) would make it illegal for anyone to provide services as a hemodialysis technician, unless they have met certain requirements and have been certified by the California State Department of Public Health.
In April 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the End-Stage Renal Disease Conditions for Coverage, which govern how dialysis clinics must operate in order to qualify for federal reimbursement.
The federal rules require that dialysis technicians be certified under a state certification program or by one of three CMS-approved private certification programs by April 15, 2010.
The federal conditions also require that hemodialysis technicians pass a standardized test and complete a training program covering specified topics.
Under SB 112, a dialysis technician must be certified by a specified national certification program. The three approved certification programs are the Board of Nephrology Examiners for Nursing and Technology (BONENT), the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission and the National Nephrology Certification Organization.
If the technician hasn’t received national certification, then the technician must have a high school diploma or four years of work experience, and have completed a training program and passed a standardized test, according to SB 112.
A clinic’s training program must be approved by the clinic’s medical director and governing body and be placed under the direction of a registered nurse, according to the bill.
The training program, under the proposed bill, needs to include the following subjects: the principles of dialysis; care of patients with kidney failure, including interpersonal skills; dialysis procedures and documentation, including initiation, proper cannulation techniques, monitoring and termination of dialysis; possible complications of dialysis; water treatment and dialysate preparation; infection control; safety; and dialyzer reprocessing, if applicable.
The standardized test would be required to be given in a proctored environment by an independent examiner, which can include representatives appointed by ESRD Network 17, ESRD Network 18, the California Dialysis Council, or any private testing organization approved by the department.
Dialysis technicians would have to meet the requirements by April 15, 2010, in order to comply with the bill, which was introduced by state Sen. Jenny Oropeza, D-LongBeach.
On her Web site, Oropeza argued that California needs a program to certify the state’s 5,000 dialysis technicians in order to meet the federal standards. “Therefore, this bill will not only bring California into compliance with federal regulations, but also ensure the continued flow of federal reimbursement,” she wrote on the Web site.
SB 112 is currently in the California Senate Rules Committee, according to Oropeza’s Web site. In addition, the nonprofit California Dialysis Council is listed as a sponsor of the bill.
“By working closely with the California Dialysis Council, we hope to protect the health of Californians who receive these life-saving treatments,” Oropeza said in a news release. “Uninterrupted dialysis care will keep the state’s hemodialysis technicians on the job helping those in need. Without this training, patients would be forced to seek more expensive care in a hospital—or to go without treatment.”
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