Back to this week
The department may not require social workers at outpatient dialysis centers to document a dialysis patient's progress in the medical record more often than every quarter, unless the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requires it to meet the patient's needs.
Official title: social workers; documentation; dialysis centers
- September 12, 2026
What changes
-
NowThe department may not require a social worker employed by an outpatient treatment center authorized to provide dialysis to document a dialysis patient's progress in the patient's medical record more often than once a quarter (every 3 months).
-
NowThe quarterly limit does not apply when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (the federal agency that runs Medicare and Medicaid) otherwise requires more frequent documentation to meet the patient's needs.
Who it affects
- Social workers employed by outpatient treatment centers that provide dialysis
- Patients who receive dialysis at these centers
- Outpatient treatment centers authorized to provide dialysis services
- The department that regulates health care institutions
What you need to do
Nothing.
What the law doesn't answer
- How often the department currently requires these social workers to document patient progress
- What the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services currently requires
- Whether dialysis centers themselves may still require more frequent documentation from their social workers
- Whether this affects documentation by other staff, such as nurses or doctors
This summary describes the law as enacted. Later laws, court rulings or referendum petitions can change the picture. Check the official text for the current wording.