Washington, D.C. – The Dialysis Vascular Access Coalition (DVAC) today applauds the bipartisan reintroduction of the Promoting Fairness for Medicare Providers Act by Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12), Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-CA-25), Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC-3), and Danny Davis (D-IL-7). DVAC strongly supports this legislation and thanks these champions for their continued commitment to ensuring Medicare patients with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) retain access to the high-quality, specialized vascular access care they need.

Patients with ESRD depend on reliable vascular access to receive life-sustaining dialysis. Vascular Access Centers of Excellence (VACs) operating in the office and ambulatory surgical center (ASC) settings treat more than half a million cases per year nationwide, delivering care in a safe, specialized, patient-preferred environment with superior outcomes. Yet current Medicare payment disparities between office-based settings and other care venues threaten the financial viability of these critical community-based facilities, particularly for procedures that require high-cost medical supplies.

The Promoting Fairness for Medicare Providers Act addresses these disparities directly by aligning Medicare reimbursement rates across care settings for procedures with significant supply costs. This commonsense, bipartisan fix will help ensure that VACs can remain open in the communities where dialysis patients live—preventing unnecessary travel burdens, disruptions in care, and the increased reliance on central venous catheters that are associated with higher rates of infection and hospitalization.

"DVAC commends Representatives Bilirakis, Ruiz, Murphy, and Davis for reintroducing this critical legislation," said DVAC spokesperson, Terry Litchfield. "Payment stability for vascular access centers of excellence is not just a financial issue—it is a patient safety and outcomes issue. We urge Congress to swiftly advance the Promoting Fairness for Medicare Providers Act to protect the dialysis patients who depend on these centers every day."

About the Dialysis Vascular Access Coalition (DVAC): DVAC is a coalition of medical specialty societies, physicians, and vascular access centers of excellence in the office and ASC setting that provide vascular access services to individuals with advanced chronic kidney disease and ESRD. DVAC supports policies that promote dialysis vascular access in settings where outcomes are superior. For more information, visit www.dialysisvascularaccess.org.