Start with your dialysis center
Federal rules (42 CFR 494.62) require every Medicare-certified dialysis facility to have an emergency preparedness plan and to train patients on it, including what to do, where to go, whom to call (with a backup phone number for the facility) and how to disconnect from the machine in an emergency. Before hurricane season, ask your center:
- where you'd get treatment if the center closes or loses power or water;
- how the center will reach you, and the backup number to call;
- whether you should get treatment early if a storm is coming;
- what diet and fluid limits to follow if a treatment is delayed.
Florida's ESRD Network 7
Medicare.gov says your End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network can help you get your dialysis treatments and find out whom to contact for supplies, drugs, transportation to dialysis, and emergency financial help if you need it. Florida has a network of its own, ESRD Network 7, run for CMS by Alliant:
- Patient line: 1-877-936-9260
- Email: [email protected]
CMS requires ESRD Networks to track whether facilities are operating and whether patients can get treatment during an emergency, so the network knows which centers are open after a storm.
Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage
With Original Medicare, you can get dialysis at any facility that accepts Medicare, in Florida or wherever you evacuate. With Medicare Advantage, call your plan to find a facility and learn which rules change in the emergency. When the President, the HHS Secretary or the Governor of Florida declares an emergency and access to care is disrupted, Medicare Advantage plans must cover Medicare-certified facilities outside the network at in-network cost sharing and waive referral rules (42 CFR 422.100(m)).
A dialysis storm checklist
- Get your center's emergency plan and save its backup number and Network 7's line in your phone and on paper.
- Keep a copy of your treatment details: your schedule, prescription, access type, medicines and doctor's name.
- Register if you'd need help. Consider Florida's Special Needs Registry if you'd need help evacuating or in a shelter.
- Tell your center where you're going if you evacuate.
More in hurricanes and Medicare in Florida.
Related questions
What is Florida's Special Needs Registry?
Who should sign up and how.
What do I do about my medicines if I evacuate?
Pharmacies, receipts and longer supplies.
Does Medicare replace equipment lost in a hurricane?
Oxygen, wheelchairs and supplies.
Sources
- eCFR — 42 CFR 494.62, dialysis facility emergency preparedness
- Medicare.gov — Getting care in a disaster or emergency
- Forum of ESRD Networks — ESRD Network contact information (Network 7, Florida)
- IPRO ESRD Network Program — Emergency management
- eCFR — 42 CFR 422.100(m), special requirements during a disaster or emergency
More questions in this guide
- Can I get my prescriptions refilled early before a hurricane in Florida?
- What is Florida's special needs registry and should people on Medicare sign up?
- What do I do about my Medicare prescriptions if I have to evacuate for a hurricane?
- Does Medicare replace oxygen and medical equipment lost in a hurricane?
- Is there a Medicare special enrollment period after a hurricane in Florida?
Part of the guide: Hurricanes and Your Medicare in Florida · All questions
Frequently asked questions
What is Florida's ESRD Network?
ESRD Network 7 covers Florida only. It works for CMS, and CMS requires ESRD Networks to track whether dialysis facilities are open and whether patients can get treatment during an emergency. Its patient line is 1-877-936-9260.
Can I get dialysis at another center if I evacuate?
With Original Medicare, you can go to any dialysis facility that accepts Medicare. With Medicare Advantage, call your plan; when a declared disaster disrupts access to care, the plan must cover Medicare-certified facilities outside its network at in-network cost (42 CFR 422.100(m)).
Should dialysis patients join Florida's Special Needs Registry?
If you would need help evacuating or in a shelter because of a disability, consider it. The registry is run by Florida's Division of Emergency Management and your county, not Medicare, and registering doesn't guarantee a special needs shelter.
Medicare in your Florida county
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