Credit: Original article published here.From the Field You read that right. The Medicare cost report that dialysis facilities submit each year can be an opportunity to capture revenue for certain bad debts. At a time when costs to run a dialysis facility are outpacing revenue, maximizing every available revenue source is more important than ever. With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to provide some basic information about the dialysis facility cost report for those who are new to the renal industry or newly responsible for their facility’s Medicare cost report. The current form used to submit a cost report for freestanding dialysis facilities is the CMS-265-11. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) uses the cost report to gather data on treatment counts across all modalities, medication and supply utilization, costs to provide treatment and run the dialysis facility, as well as revenue and uncollected bad debt. If you are a dialysis facility administrator, you are likely familiar with collecting this information each year to pass on to whomever prepares your cost report. Filing a cost report could be likened to filing taxes; both are complex, can have serious financial and legal implications if done