Laura Novy is from Bellevue, Nebraska, and has been a renal patient for 23 years. She has had ESRD since 2006 and is currently on in-center hemodialysis. Laura has been a member of the Patient Advisory Council (PAC) since 2017.
One reason she likes to be a part of the PAC is that it feels good to know that her voice of the kidney patient can be heard to help possibly improve the quality of care for other kidney patients. Her advice for other patients is: “Do what the doctors say to the best of your ability because it will make you feel better ultimately.”
|
|
Heartland Kidney Network is now Qsource ESRD Network 12
|
|
Heartland Kidney Network is transitioning to a new identity.
While we will still provide the same support, educational opportunities and resources as we have in the past, we will be now be known as Qsource ESRD Network 12, reflective of our parent company’s identity and inclusion of ESRD capabilities.
The name transition aligns with a national trend to have End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Networks identify by their Network number rather than a specific name that depicts location or service area. We will continue to serve the ESRD patients and clinicians in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa.
We’re still the same Network – only now you have access to a broader array of services and educational opportunities through our collaboration with other ESRD Networks, Quality Improvement Organizations and national partners.
If we can be of assistance or if you have questions, please contact
Stephanie Smith
at
816-880-1700
.
|
|
Registration Now Open!
Network 12's Annual Network Council Webinar
|
Please join Network 12 for the Annual Network Council Webinar on Thursday May 16
th
from 10-11am.
Network staff will present on the Quality Improvement Activities (QIAs), Network Goals and other pertinent information that you won't want to miss!
This webinar should be attended by a representative from each dialysis unit and transplant center.
|
|
Event:
Annual Network Council Webinar
Date:
Thursday, May 16
Time:
10-11 a.m. CT
|
|
|
|
Don't Forget about My Kidney Kit!
|
My Kidney Kit should be in every facility as a resource for patients. It is also available online at
www.mykidneykit.org
.
It contains many great pages (also available in Spanish) that coincide with our Quality Improvement Activities (QIAs).
|
|
Check out these Resources:
|
Reducing Blood Stream Infections
Increasing Home Dialysis
Increasing Transplant Waitlist
Increase Use of Vocational Rehabilitation
Need hard copy of the My Kidney Kit?
|
|
Topic of the Month | My Choices: Talk Transplant
|
|
April Monthly Topic
My Choices: Talk Transplant
April Patient Engagement Action:
Ask about your kidney transplant waitlist status.
This month, the “Be Active in your Care” patient engagement calendar topic is “
My Choices: Talk Transplant
” focusing on encouraging patients to find out more about kidney transplant.
|
|
Use the
“My Choices: Transplant” Topic of the Month sheet
to identify resources that would be helpful to improve the Plan of Care process at your clinic; educate patients on Advance Directives and consider ways to acknowledge patient transitions. You can also check out the
Patient Engagement Showcase
to see bulletin board ideas shared by dialysis facility staff from throughout the Network.
Find all these patient engagement resources
HERE
.
|
|
Tools for Patient Engagement
|
|
 |
New On Demand Webinar:
Incorporating Person and Family Engagement in Your Dialysis Facility
|
For an overview of Patient Engagement and the Network resources in 2019, watch and listen to the On-Demand Webinar “Incorporating Person and Family Engagement in your Dialysis Facility”.
There are lots of resources to help you improve the patient experience at your clinic.
|
|
|
|
May Topic of the Month
Patient Engagement
Planning Sheet
My Life: Work & Play
|
We encourage you to review the resources and activities on the topic
“
My Life: Work & Play topic sheet
”
to help you plan a patient engagement activity
encouraging patients to work, volunteer and travel
.
The sheet
has
educational resources as well as ideas on how to use the resources to develop a patient engagement activity.
We encourage you to work with your Network Patient Representative (NPR) to discuss what information and activities they think would be most helpful to the patients at your facility.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patient Engagement in ACTION!
|
Richard Woods, NPR and Patient Advisory Council (PAC) member from Branson Dialysis in Missouri shared a photo of a recent bulletin board he did to make patients aware of his availability as the NPR.
Thanks Richard!
This is a great example for all our NPRs to consider.
Keep up the great work!
Do you have a picture or project you'd like to share that is not a part of a Network QIA? Share your Patient Engagement activity by
submitting it here
.
|
|
Very Important Patient (VIP)
Peer to Peer Call-In Series
|
We want all our patients to feel like VIPs!
Make sure to share with other patients and join the calls beginning in April when several people from our Patient Advisory Council will be sharing about their experience with kidney transplant!
Talk to your clinic staff to see how you can get the word out and share during the call.
|
|
Date:
Wednesday, April 26
Time:
1-2 p.m. CT
Call-In Number:
888-527-7715
Access Code:
885-90-323#
|
|
Understanding everyone’s role in Involuntary Discharges
One way the Network fulfills our Scope of Work is to address access to care issues such as Involuntary Discharges (IVD) and Transfers.
To support this activity, we are working to provide resources to assist facilities in understanding the ESRD Conditions for Coverage related to IVD, the role of the Interdisciplinary Team and Medical Director in the process as well as the Network processes.
First, Facility Administrators and Managers were requested to have each Nephrologist providing care at their facility acknowledges that they had reviewed a
MRB approved memo
on the sanctioned reasons for IVD. Thank you for your assistance!
If you have not submitted the
Acknowledgement Form
for your facility please do so immediately. Attach the form and report
HERE
.
Secondly, an On Demand Webinar is now available for you and your team to review at your convenience on “Understanding the ESRD Conditions for Coverage related to Involuntary Discharge.”
Download the PowerPoint slides and complete an evaluation to provide us with feedback so we can improve our resources.
|
Lastly, the Patient Services Team (Allison Wayment, Patient Services Specialist and DeeDee Velasquez-Peralta, Patient Services Manager) are available to discuss any challenging situations you may be dealing with before they escalate to an involuntary discharge.
We can review the CfCs with you, discuss the case, and provide intervention suggestions to help prevent an IVD or minimize the impact of the IVD.
You can reach us at 816-880-9990.
|
|
End Stage Renal Disease National Coordinating Center Quality Improvement Activity Learning and Action Networks (ESRD NCC QIA LAN)
The ESRD NCC hosts a series of calls based on topics of the CMS Quality Improvement Activities (QIAs).
These include: Blood Stream Infection (BSI), Home Modality, Transplant, and Depression. ALL ESRD are invited to these meetings because improving the lives of dialysis patients in these areas is a global goal.
Please also share these calls with your patients. If you have questions, please call the Network office at 816-880-9990.
Upcoming Calls
- April 16 | Support Gainful Employment of ESRD Patients Meeting QIA LAN Call | 2-3 p.m. CT Register Here
- May 7 | Blood Stream Infection (BSI) QIA LAN Call | 2-3 p.m. Central Register Here
Materials from Previous Calls
|
Dialysis During Disasters
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
1- 2 p.m. CT
The Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) Program would like to invite you to attend an informational webinar titled "Dialysis During Disasters".
This event is open to the public and is geared towards professionals in the fields of Emergency Management, Public Health (ESF-8), Healthcare Coalitions, and additional stakeholders responsible for disaster response and recovery.
Please
click here
to register for this event. Space is limited, reserve your spot immediately!
|
|
|
Culpepper Exum Scholarship for People with Kidney Disease
|
This scholarship is intended to help one deserving dialysis or transplant patient from each state, Kansas and Missouri, attend any post-secondary accredited educational or vocational program.
The award is for $1,000 per scholarship for one school year paid directly to the institution. Click here to
apply
|
|
|
|
NHSN Reminders
NHSN is the nation’s most widely used healthcare-associated infection tracking system.
NHSN provides facilities, states, regions, and the nation with data needed to identify problem areas, measure progress of prevention efforts, and ultimately eliminate healthcare-associated infections.
|
|
|
REMEMBER: NHSN Data Deadlines
|
|
Facilities should:
Contact the NHSN Helpdesk (
[email protected]
, subject line ‘Dialysis’) with any questions.
|
|
This resource was developed while under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Contract #HHSM-500-2016-00012C. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. 19.Q-ESRD12.04.093
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
