Comes this November, and dialysis in the state of California may be changed forever.
The election ballot includes what is called Proposition 29. This would entail a slew of new requirements governing the operation of dialysis centers in the state. (Similar measures were also on the 2018 and 2020 ballots- both of which have been rejected by votes of 59.9% and 63.4%, respectively).
The key driver behind this initiative (actually, all three voting measures) is the SEIU (Service Employees International Union); The SEIU has been attempting to organize workers at the two largest dialysis providers- Fresenius and DaVita. And, yes, this proposition was put forward by them simply as a form of blackmail.
The initiative would require centers to report any infections at the center to the state; yet, this is already a federal requirement. So, it’s clear that dialysis centers are trying to hide the data from the public.
But, the most onerous provision (from the point of view of the dialysis providers) is that for each of the 650 dialysis centers in the state (treating some 80000 patients) a nurse practitioner, physician, or physician’s assistant (with at least 6 months experience with ESRD [end stage renal disease]) would be required for those on-site professionals and they have to be on the premises. The SEIU says this will augment patient care. But, there’s no evidence to back that up (nor does CMMS [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] require such personnel to operate on site. The only effect of this provision is that it will increase the costs for each dialysis center by several hundred thousand dollars a year.
Other provisions in the proposition would require centers to notify patients and the California Department of Public Health if a physician owns 5% or more of the clinic.
Given the two prior defeats- and that this initiative from SEIU is a form of blackmail- it should not uprise you that most of the newspapers in the state have voiced their opposition to this initiative.
Wow as if the patients don’t have a hard enough time as it is, now this!
Yes, this blackmail needs to be terminated.
California. Sigh. Thankfully not that familiar with dialysis but seems like overregulation to me, just as a layperson.
It’s really not California. It’s the SEIU trying to put pressure on the dialysis clinics.
But, the rules should be if a proposition fails, it needs to be tabled for more than 2 years before it can be proposed once again.