Dialysis center facing delays
Aprolonged approval process for Medicare and Medicaid payments is behind the delayed opening of a dialysis center in the South Valley, according to a representative from the company that built the center.
Dialysis Center Inc. held a ribbon cutting and gave tours at its clinic at 1725 Isleta SW in September but, as of this week, it remained closed to patients. The delay has frustrated Bernalillo County Commissioner Art De La Cruz, prompting him to write a letter to the state Department of Health.
Jackie French, the DCI administrator who oversees the New Mexico clinics, said the company shares the frustration.
“We want it to open, too,” she said in an interview. “We spent a lot of money on it. I have already hired fully trained staff.”
She said the company cannot open the South Valley clinic because it’s not yet certified to receive Medicare and Medicaid payments. Without that, she said, the company has no way to bill its patients because most insurance companies will not sign an agreement with a company unless they are certified to be reimbursed for Medicare and Medicaid.
Kenny Vigil, spokesman for the state Department of Health, said the problem is at the federal level. The state cannot start the certification process until it receives authorization from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In addition, he said the certification process is organized into a four-tier system, with tier one and two receiving higher priority. He said the federal government classifies all dialysis centers as a tier three, but New Mexico currently only receives funding for tier 1 and 2 certifications.
“If money is left over, then we start on tier three,” Vigil said.
Dialysis Center Inc. has two other locations in Albuquerque and one in Rio Rancho.
French said the process was not always this long, sometimes only taking two months, but has increased in the past few years. Vigil said the process length is determined by a number of factors and varies from year to year.
“I do get that the community is anxious because they don’t want to drive far for these services,” French said. “We are ready and will immediately start transferring patients when we get the certification.”