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Funding Allocation

Renal Funding in BC:
A centralized/decentralized model

Out of an annual budget of approximately $157.5 million, BCPRA pays directly for items such as:

  • Vendor contracts (e.g. producers of dialysis machines and equipment)
  • Medical and surgical supplies for community dialysis units (provincial contracts are negotiated on behalf of the renal community to realize economies of scale )
  • Medications (provincial contracts are negotiated for these as well)
  • Information system costs
  • Special projects and initiatives

Renal funding is allocated to each health authority for services directly related to patient care:

  • Labour costs for chronic kidney clinics and peritoneal dialysis clinics
  • Hemodialysis treatments and follow-up care, including labour costs as well as costs of supplies for hospital units (supplies for community units and home patients are part of a provincial contract managed by BCPRA)
  • Data entry related to PROMIS, the provincial information system that supports tracking of patient numbers, outcomes and other information

While we recognize that chronic kidney patients use radiology, surgery and other hospital based programs, the renal funding model is based on chronic dialysis-related services and as such is not intended to cover costs for acute episodic services used by these patients. In this case, renal care funding is similar to other funding models such as open-heart surgery or cancer treatments, which do not cover the cost of readmission to hospital as a result of complications from these procedures or from other diseases. Therefore, renal funding does not cover: 

  • Radiology and surgical services, including vascular access surgery procedures
  • General pharmacy drug costs such as antibiotics
  • Inpatient costs associated with hospital admissions
  • Laboratory costs
  • Hospital information systems support costs/computer hardware (except in specific circumstances)
  • Corporate overhead costs
  • Inflationary and wage settlement cost pressures

For more information on BCPRA’s funding model or allocations, contact the BC Renal Agency main office at 604-875-7340 or by email.