Traveling abroad on home dialysis

Has the springtime got you dreaming about a trip to Paris or Australia or Rome? If so, why not plan a vacation? Home dialysis patients don’t have to restrict their travel to the United States. Traveling abroad is also possible.

People on peritoneal dialysis (PD) can get their supplies delivered abroad to the place where they are visiting. This way, their supplies will be there when they get there. However they should also bring some supplies with them in case of delays during travel.

People on home hemodialysis (HHD) using the portable NxStage machine may have to take some extra time planning if traveling abroad, but it’s still completely possible. Since NxStage doesn’t support the portable NxStage system outside of the lower 48 U.S. states, people who choose to bring their NxStage machine out of the country will be on their own if additional supplies or a swap out of the machine are needed. This shouldn’t stop people on HHD from traveling abroad, though. HHD patients can simply arrange for in-center treatments at dialysis centers where they are traveling. People on HHD that are interested in doing this should talk to their home dialysis nurse who can help them set up the treatments abroad.

One thing that is important to consider when planning a trip abroad is that some insurance companies do not pay for dialysis outside of the U.S. If your insurance provider does not cover treatments abroad, you will need to pay for your hemodialysis treatments or PD supplies on your own. This means that short daily home hemodialysis patients traveling abroad can continue to do short daily treatments in center while on their vacation if they would like, since they will be paying out of pocket for them. The cost for dialysis treatments varies from country to country. Talk to your home dialysis or PD nurse for more information.

Visit www.davita.com/home if you’d like to know more about home dialysis.