WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Dialysis Vascular Access Coalition (DVAC) announced that it fully supports the effort of the Congressional Tri-Caucus to demand that Congress act urgently to direct CMS not to move forward with the implementation of the clinical labor update and to stop 20% cuts to vascular access services. See the Congressional Tri-Caucus Letter here. 

DVAC is urging Congress to take action before the CMS-directed cuts take effect in 2022 and to reform the PFS to protect patients and providers. 

Dr. Gregg Miller, DVAC’s Health Policy Chair, said, “There is significant momentum to fix this by the end of the year due to the widespread negative impacts this CMS decision would have on patients and our entire health care delivery system. DVAC is grateful to the Congressional Tri-Caucus for leading the charge and bringing their voice to this fight for health equity and patient access. Congress must act to make sure that hundreds of thousands of Americans in need of dialysis treatment can get the best possible care without interruption.” 

Each year, Vascular Access Centers treat more than half of a million cases in the United States in a safe, patient-preferred setting and the proposed cut of 20% will force many of these centers to close. In the 2017 PFS, CMS cut payments to a key vascular access code by 39%. Now these same providers are on the chopping block again for an additional 20% cut, even though data has shown that high-quality care is essential for vascular access.