Resolved Home Hemodialysis

[JenniferH_70554]

Hi. One of our home dialysis clients is telling us there is a code that can be billed for hemodialysis when only a family member or the patient administers there own home dialysis. The only code that I think might could possibly be used is the HCPCS S9335, but wanted to see if others thought that would be correct or if there is a better code.

 

[Darcy]

Hi. One of our home dialysis clients is telling us there is a code that can be billed for hemodialysis when only a family member or the patient administers there own home dialysis. The only code that I think might could possibly be used is the HCPCS S9335, but wanted to see if others thought that would be correct or if there is a better code.

Based on the information provided, HCPCS code S9335 (Home dialysis aid visit) would likely not be the most appropriate code to bill for a scenario when only a family member or the patient themselves is administering home dialysis, without any visit from a trained dialysis aide.

The code descriptions for S9335 specify that this code is to report dialysis aide visits to assist with the patient's self-dialysis care. So if no aide visit takes place, this would not accurately capture the specific situation described.

Unfortunately, there are not many well-established HCPCS codes specifically for instances where only the patient or a family member administers home dialysis themselves. However, here are some potential codes and options I would recommend exploring further:

• CPT code 90989 (Dialysis education, nonphysician provider) - captures dialysis education by a non MD/DO provider
• CPT code 90993 (Dialysis training, patient/caregiver) - reports dialysis training for patient/caregiver
• General ESRD educational codes (e.g. G0420-G0421) - broader codes for kidney disease education

I would advise checking with your payer policies and any relevant dialysis coding guidelines to determine if any of those education or training codes could potentially apply and be justified for independent home dialysis care. Clear documentation around training and patient self-management would be important as well.

Please let me know if you have any other questions! Proper coding for home dialysis can be complex.