Hi y’all,
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is Out. You can download the 500+ page document here: http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2009-22486_PI.pdf, if you want to read it yourself. Otherwise, folks will be reading and “digesting” it to figure out what the implications are for home dialyzors and let you know what topics will be most helpful for letter-writing (and where to send them) during the public comment period which has now begun.
We expect that the concerns will fall more on the home HD than the PD side. But advocates of PD or home HD who live in or would be willing to travel to Baltimore (at their own expense, I’m afraid, unless one of the companies wants to sponsor people, and I don’t know that anyone has gotten that far in their thinking yet) may want to register for the CMS Town Hall meeting on 10/23 and sign up to speak (you get 5 minutes if they accept you). Last I looked, there were 468 spots left. You can register here: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/events/event.asp?id=589&Kw=&Mh=NoMonth&cboOrder=date&Yr=NoYear&type=2. Please sign up only if you really will go, or you’ll prevent other advocates from having a chance.