Medical Billing for Nephrology & Dialysis Practices

Nephrology Billing That Pays What You Earn

Nephrology billing is dominated by dialysis monthly capitation codes, ESRD bundle billing, and the complex interaction between kidney disease management and comorbid conditions. Dialysis-related billing uses a unique monthly bundled payment system under Medicare, and the rules governing separately billable services are strict and frequently misunderstood. 360Solutions provides nephrology billing specialists who manage ESRD capitation, dialysis-related drug billing, kidney biopsy coding, and the chronic kidney disease evaluation codes that maximize revenue outside the dialysis bundle.

28%
avg nephrology revenue lost from ESRD bundle billing errors
$640
avg additional monthly revenue per ESRD patient with correct capitation
95%
first-pass rate for nephrology professional claims
Nephrology Billing Challenges
Where practices lose the most revenue:
ESRD Monthly Capitation Billing
Bundle vs. Separately Billable
AV Fistula & Graft Procedures
CKD Evaluation Code Capture
Nephrology Billing Challenges

Where Nephrology Practices Lose Revenue

These are the coding and billing pitfalls that cost nephrology practices the most — and where our specialised billers add the most value.

ESRD Monthly Capitation Billing

Medicare pays dialysis professional services via monthly capitation codes (90951-90970) based on the number of face-to-face visits in the month and patient age. Incorrect visit count, wrong code selection, or missed months result in significant revenue loss across all ESRD patients.

Bundle vs. Separately Billable

The ESRD bundle includes most dialysis-related drugs and supplies. However, some drugs and services remain separately billable — erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, certain IV iron agents, and specific non-dialysis services. Billing bundled items separately triggers overpayment recovery.

AV Fistula & Graft Procedures

Arteriovenous fistula creation, revision, and thrombectomy procedures (36818-36832) are separately billable from dialysis. Many nephrology practices under-document the surgical indication and post-procedure surveillance, losing these high-value procedure codes.

CKD Evaluation Code Capture

Patients with CKD stages 1-4 who are not yet on dialysis represent a large billable patient population for E&M visits, eGFR monitoring, and kidney function labs. These visits are fully billable at standard E&M rates — but only when supported by comprehensive documentation.

Coding Intelligence

High-Risk CPT Groups

Code ranges payers audit most aggressively in Nephrology.

90951–90962
ESRD monthly capitation — by patient age and visit frequency
90965–90970
ESRD home dialysis monthly capitation codes
36818–36832
AV fistula and graft — creation, revision, thrombectomy
50200 / 50205
Renal biopsy — percutaneous / surgical with renal endoscopy
99213–99215
E&M visits for CKD stages 1–4 — office-based nephrology management
Denial Intelligence

Common Denial Patterns

Knowing these before submission is the difference between a 60% and a 96% first-pass rate.

ESRD capitation code with wrong visit count for the billing month

Separately billable drug claimed within the ESRD bundle period

AV fistula procedure billed without documentation of access failure or stenosis

CKD E&M billed same month as ESRD capitation without justification for separate visit

Home dialysis capitation billed when patient was hospitalized for full month

Free Denial Audit

Send us your last 90 days of remittance data — we'll identify your top 3 fixable denial sources at no cost.

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Our Process

How 360Solutions Works for Nephrology Practices

01

Free 2-Week Billing Audit

We review your last 90 days: denial breakdown by category, AR aging by payer, charge lag, collection rate, and any recurring coding issues specific to your specialty. No commitment required.

02

Specialty Coder Assignment

You are paired with a coder trained specifically in nephrology coding. They learn your providers, your documentation patterns, and your payer mix before touching a claim.

03

Parallel Billing Transition

We run alongside your current billing for 10–14 days with zero cash flow disruption. Claims keep moving during the transition. Your account manager provides daily status updates.

04

Live KPI Dashboard

Real-time visibility into billed, paid, denied, AR aging, and collection rate — segmented by provider and payer. No black box, no month-end surprises.

05

Weekly Account Manager Call

Every week your dedicated account manager walks through last week's KPIs, denial trends, and any action items. Critical issues are escalated the same day — not at the next scheduled call.

Nephrology Billing FAQ

Questions From Nephrology Practices

We receive the facility dialysis treatment log monthly and reconcile it against the physician's face-to-face visit documentation. Visit counts are verified before selecting the capitation code, and we flag any months where visit count thresholds may justify a higher-paying code.
Yes. We manage provider enrollment at each facility, track visit counts per location, and submit correct capitation claims for each facility relationship. Coverage arrangements between medical director and covering physicians are tracked and billed under the appropriate NPI.
Post-transplant follow-up has specific billing codes and may involve coordination with transplant center billing. We manage the nephrology professional billing for post-transplant monitoring visits, rejection episodes, and ongoing immunosuppression management evaluations.
Yes. Remote patient monitoring (99453-99458) is billable for CKD patients using connected blood pressure monitors or weight scales when the practice reviews data monthly and documents care management. We set up RPM billing workflows that capture this revenue stream.
Ready to Fix Your Nephrology Billing?

Start With a Free,
No-Obligation Audit

Two weeks, no contract. A certified nephrology billing specialist reviews your claims, denial patterns, and AR — and shows you exactly what is recoverable.