Opening of new dialysis center pushed back again

The opening of the new hemodialysis center at the Commonwealth Health Center has been pushed back anew as the new reverse osmosis machine just arrived last Tuesday, according to a senior Department of Public Health official.

Esther Muña, acting deputy secretary, told Saipan Tribune that the opening and full operation of the facility may take a little more time because of the required period to get the center certified by Medicare.

The new reverse osmosis will have to be installed and the unit checked in order to ensure that everything is working, after which everything needs to be certified by authorities before the center is officially unveiled.

“The machine just arrived [Tuesday] and it needs to be installed by the manufacturer and this work may probably take one or two weeks and we’re working on the schedule. After the installation, there’s a need for water testing and equipment test to see if it’s effective. We still need to do some other works after these tests,” said Muña.

It is only after these series of tests that Medicare can schedule a visit to the center for a resurvey. “From there, we will know when to really open it. If Medicare says it’s ready to go…that’s the only time we can fully open and operate it.”

Muña hopes, though, that the opening will happen before the end of the year.

In order to participate in the Medicare program, the dialysis center’s water treatment system, including the reverse osmosis system, must meet Food and Drugs’ 510(k) requirements. It is usually the manufacturer that requests for FDA 510(k) certification.

Unless CHC obtains this certification as evidence to present to Medicare, Medicare cannot approve CHC’s transfer to the new hemodialysis facility even if it meets compliance with all of the other conditions of participation.

Once the reverse osmosis system receives FDA certification, Muña said that CHC will inform Medicare of the center’s readiness for a resurvey and request approval to transfer to the new site.

DPH had earlier announced that the center is expected to be operational starting early this year after the government paid $150,000 to replace the facility’s reverse osmosis system, increase the system’s recovery rate from 9,600 gallons per day to 12,000; installation; and training of personnel.

The new dialysis center has a total of 38 stations that will be capable of treating 27 patients simultaneously.