Considering Home Dialysis Cost vs In-Center

Choosing to treat stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the comfort of your own home can be more effective, give you more flexibility and make sense financially. How much does home dialysis cost? Your expenses may depend on your health insurance and other factors. While you’re weighing the benefits of home dialysis, your Fresenius Kidney Care social worker and insurance coordinator can help you examine your costs based on your insurance coverage for everything from a portable dialysis machine to supplies to utilities. They can also help you explore other health coverage options or programs that may be available to you.

Financial benefits of home dialysis to consider

When considering costs, remember that home treatment eliminates the transportation expense of traveling to and from your dialysis center 3 times a week. Depending on what your doctor orders, home dialysis may be more frequent than in-center dialysis, which may also limit the number of medications you’re prescribed and cut back on prescription costs. Another benefit is that the flexibility of home dialysis can make it easier to schedule dialysis around your work, which can help prevent lost income. Some people even do dialysis at work.

Considerations for the 2 types of home dialysis

There are 2 options for home dialysis treatment: home hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD).

For either type, your home dialysis equipment is likely covered by insurance. Many insurance plans cover home dialysis equipment and your insurance coordinator will help you confirm coverage or determine if you need secondary insurance.

How much does home hemodialysis cost?

Many of the costs of home hemodialysis may be covered by your insurance. In addition to your home hemodialysis machine, other costs that may be covered include any plumbing or electrical work required and supplies such as dialysate solution, medical supplies, tubing and a scale. The costs will vary based on where you live, the machine you use and your insurance coverage. Your social worker and insurance coordinator will help you explore exactly what’s covered and help you find ways to manage anything else.

How much does home peritoneal dialysis cost?

If you do home peritoneal dialysis, you can choose to do automated, longer treatments using a PD machine or do manual treatments that use gravity and simple equipment rather than electricity. In addition to your PD machine, other costs that may be covered include dialysate solution and medical supplies.

YOUR INSURANCE COORDINATOR AND SOCIAL WORKER ARE HERE TO HELP

As you explore home dialysis treatment options, please reach out and ask any questions about cost or coverage. We can help you find the answers you need so you can choose a treatment that best fits your lifestyle.

Understanding your insurance coverage for home dialysis

With all of the different factors affecting home dialysis cost, it’s important that you understand your current coverage, as well as your options. Managing dialysis costs is an important part of treatment planning. From commercial healthcare coverage like employer health plans or plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace to government-sponsored coverage like Medicare, different plans have different fee structures—and they offer varying amounts of coverage and services.

The more you know about your insurance, the better equipped you’ll be to make sure you’ve got the right coverage for your dialysis services—and that you’re getting the most out of your plan. If you’re considering making a change, talk to your insurance coordinator before making any decisions. Your insurance coordinator can help you understand the financial impact of making a switch.

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