Medicare Coverage of Dialysis Services and Supplies

Adapted from Medicare Coverage of Kidney Dialysis and Kidney Transplant Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The selected guidance concerns Medicare coverage and payment, not a recommendation for medical treatment. Numbered page references below refer to the linked source publication.

Coverage can depend on medical necessity, the setting, provider participation, and your plan’s rules. Use the cited publication for the full conditions and check the plan year when comparing costs or enrollment choices.

Dialysis services & supplies Medicare covers

To find out what you pay for these services, go to pages 25–30.

Dialysis services & supplies NOT covered by Medicare

Medicare doesn’t cover these services or supplies:

• Paid dialysis aides that help you with home dialysis, unless it’s part of a bundled payment for your dialysis.
• Any lost pay to you or the person who may be helping you during home dialysis training
• A place to stay during your treatment
• Blood or packed red blood cells for home dialysis, unless part of a doctor’s service

There are some types of coverage that may pay some of the health care costs that Medicare doesn’t pay. For more information on Medicare drug coverage (Part D), go to pages 22–24.

Dialysis facilities

Dialysis can be done at home or in a Medicare-certified dialysis facility (also known as a dialysis center). For Medicare to pay for your treatments, the facility must be Medicare-certified to give dialysis, even if the facility already gives other health care services that Medicare covers.

At the dialysis facility, a nurse or trained technician may give you the treatment. At home, you can treat yourself or ask a family member or friend for help with your treatment.

Medicare evaluates dialysis facilities each year using different quality measures. These quality measures show how often dialysis facilities use best practices when caring for you. Medicare gives each dialysis facility a score based on its evaluation of these quality measures. Dialysis facilities are required to display that score in an area that’s easy for you to find, and in a format and language you understand.

How to find a facility

In most cases, you’ll get your dialysis treatments at the facility where your kidney doctor works. You have the right to choose to get your treatments from another facility at any time, but this could mean changing doctors.

You can visit Medicare.gov/care-compare to find a dialysis facility that’s close to you, or call your local ESRD Network. Go to page 35.

Medicare.gov/care-compare has detailed information about Medicare-certified dialysis facilities. You can compare dialysis facilities based on their star ratings, as well as the services and quality of care they give. It also has other resources for patients and family members who want to learn more about chronic kidney disease and dialysis.

When you visit Medicare.gov/care-compare, you can find and compare this information about dialysis facilities:

• Addresses
• Phone numbers
• Maps and directions
• Types of dialysis services offered
• Quality of patient care
• Patient experience of care survey results

If you don’t have a smart phone or computer, your local library or senior center may be able to help you look up information on dialysis facilities. You can also contact your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) (page 38), or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to get help comparing dialysis facilities. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.

If you have a problem finding a dialysis facility that’s willing to take you as a patient, you have the right to file a complaint (grievance). Go to pages 31–33.

Transportation to dialysis facilities

Original Medicare only covers ambulance services to and from your home to the nearest dialysis facility, when other forms of transportation could endanger your health.

For non-emergency, scheduled, repetitive ambulance services, the ambulance supplier must get a written order from your doctor before you get the ambulance service. The doctor’s written order must certify that ambulance transportation is medically necessary, and the date must be no earlier than 60 days before you get the ambulance service.

If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan, the plan may cover some non-ambulance transportation to dialysis facilities and doctors. Read your plan materials, or call the plan for more information.

For more information about ambulance coverage, visit Medicare.gov/coverage/ ambulance-services. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

If you need help with non-ambulance transportation, talk to the social worker at your dialysis facility to find out your options.

Dialysis in a hospital

If you’re admitted to a hospital and get dialysis, Medicare Part A will cover your treatments as part of the cost of your covered inpatient hospital stay. Go to page 28.

Home dialysis

Medicare Part B covers home dialysis training for you or your caregiver, but only by a facility certified for dialysis training. You may qualify for training if you think you'll benefit from home dialysis treatments, and your doctor approves. Training sessions occur at the same time you get dialysis treatment and are limited to a maximum number of sessions.

Your dialysis facility is responsible for giving you all of your home dialysis related items and services, including equipment and supplies, that are medically necessary and reasonable.

Your dialysis facility must give you these items and services directly, or through an arrangement with another provider.

Medicare makes a single payment per dialysis treatment to the dialysis facility for all dialysis-related services, including equipment and supplies. Dialysis facilities pay third-party suppliers from this single payment amount.

Monthly doctor visits for home dialysis

You may be able to get a monthly visit from your doctor (or certain other health care providers, like physician assistants and nurse practitioners) to help you manage your care.

This benefit includes an in-person visit between you and your health care provider once a month. You can also choose to get some of your monthly visits via telehealth. These visits allow you and your doctor to review your lab work, discuss your care and the effectiveness of your dialysis, check for complications, and give you a chance to ask questions about your home dialysis treatment. To learn more about telehealth, visit Medicare.gov/coverage/telehealth.

Dialysis when you travel

You can still travel within the U.S. if you need dialysis. There are about 6,000 dialysis facilities around the country. Your facility can help you plan your treatment along the route of your trip before you travel.

While you’re traveling, you may need to pay your copayment when you get your dialysis. Check with the social worker at your home dialysis facility to learn more.

Your dialysis facility will help you by checking if the facilities on your route:

• Are Medicare-certified to give dialysis
• Have the space and time to give care when you need it
• Have enough information about you to give you the right treatment

In general, Medicare will only pay for hospital or medical care that you get in the U.S.

Note: If you get your dialysis services from a Medicare Advantage Plan, your plan may be able to help you arrange dialysis treatment while you travel. Contact your plan for more information.

Knowing how well your dialysis is working

With the right type and amount of dialysis, you’ll probably feel better and less tired, have a better appetite, less nausea, have fewer hospital stays, and live longer.

You can tell how well the dialysis is working with blood tests that keep track of your URR or Kt/V (pronounced “kay tee over vee”) number. These numbers tell your doctor or nurse how well dialysis is removing wastes from your body. Your doctor or nurse usually keeps track of one or both of these numbers, depending on which test your dialysis facility uses.

The minimum numbers for adequate dialysis differ based on the type of dialysis (hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis) treatment you’re getting. Your health care provider or dialysis center may set a higher dialysis goal for your health and to make you feel better. Talk to your health care provider about your number.

Even if you feel fine, you should still check how well your dialysis is working. For a short period, you may feel okay without adequate dialysis. However, over time, not getting adequate dialysis can make you feel weak and tired, which can lead to a higher risk of infection and prolonged bleeding, and shorten your life.

Here are some steps you can take to help make dialysis work better:

• Arrive on time to all of your scheduled treatments.
• Stay for the full treatment time.
• Follow your diet and fluid restrictions.
• Follow the advice of your dialysis staff on taking care of yourself.
• Check your URR or Kt/V adequacy number each month.
• Before you start dialysis, talk to your doctor about which type of dialysis is best for you. If you’re starting hemodialysis, talk to your doctor about which type of hemodialysis vascular access is best for you. Your vascular access uses your blood vessels and is created by a surgeon to use for cleaning your blood during dialysis.
• Learn how to care for your vascular access.

To learn more about how well your dialysis is working, talk with your doctor or other health team members at your dialysis facility. If you have a problem with the care that you’re getting for your kidney disease, you have the right to file a complaint. Go to pages 31–33.

Source and further reading

Medicare Coverage of Kidney Dialysis and Kidney Transplant Services — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Public domain U.S. government educational material, accessed October 28, 2026. Fynoptic has selected sections, removed print navigation, and reformatted the text for this guide. The agency does not endorse Fynoptic.