Medicare program; payment for kidneys sent to foreign countries or transplanted in patients other than Medicare beneficiaries--HCFA. Final rule.

These final regulations exclude from Medicare payments made to organ procurement organizations the costs associated with kidneys sent to foreign countries or transplanted in patients other than Medicare beneficiaries. In addition to reducing Medicare expenditures by eliminating Medicare subsidization of the costs of kidneys sent to foreign countries or transplanted in patients other than Medicare beneficiaries, we intend these regulations to increase the availability of kidneys to Medicare beneficiaries who are suitable transplant candidates. This could result in medical and social benefits for transplanted patients, and reductions in Medicare expenditures because kidney transplantation is more cost-effective than maintaining beneficiaries on kidney dialysis.