"It's not the cards you are dealt, it is how you play the hand."
— quote by Unknown. Shared by Daniel Westcott, In-Center Hemodialysis, Kansas
Jeff Arnall is the Information Manager and has been with the Network since September 2001. His background is medical software, IT support, programming and project management. Jeff oversees all things related to the collection of patient data and CROWNWeb related issues, the Providers.Exchange portal, and the Smartsheet application used for all of HKN’s QIAs. He is also one of two certified project managers on the Qsource project management team.

If you ever have a question about the Network, please reach out to us at 816-880-9990 . 
Did You Miss the Annual Network Council Meeting Last Month?
The Annual Network Council meeting was presented July 17. If you missed it, you can watch the On-Demand Recording. If you have listened in and have not filled out the evaluation, please do so by click on the link below.
Heartland Headlines Patient Newsletter Now Available
In July, the Network sent out a copy of the Heartland Headlines-Patient Newsletter, in this edition, you’ll find a wonderful patient story as well as some great information for patients to dispel some myths related to home dialysis, transplant and depression. Please share this resource with patients and their care partners.
Improving the Patient Experience
and Appropriate Access to Care

Heartland Kidney Network (Qsource-ESRD Network 12) continues to actively seek ways to understand, and if possible, reduce the incidence of involuntary patient discharges — particularly for the reason of non-adherence to treatment.
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Patient Advisory Council (PAC) Recruitment

Some patients may have more of an interest in working with the Network to guide Network level activities.
If you identify a patient or family member of a patient who may be interested in becoming a member of our PAC, we encourage you to have them complete the PAC application.

CMS Announces the ESRD QIP Proposed Technical Specs for
PY 2021, 2022 and 2024

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) has released the End-Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program (ESRD QIP) Technical Specifications (Tech Specs) for the Performance Years (PY) 2021, 2022, and 2024.

The Tech Specs can be found on the ESRD QIP section of CMS.gov. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact the ESRD QIP team using the ESRD QIP Q&A Tool .





ESRD QIP PY 2019 Preview Period Open
Aug. 6-Sept. 6, 2018

The ESRD QIP Payment Year 2019 Preview Period opened Aug. 6 and closes at 11:59 p.m. PT Sept. 6.

Facilities should use this 30-day period to review their PSR and submit clarification questions or a formal inquiry.

CMS recommends that facilities submit any clarification questions and/or systemic clarification questions in a timely manner in order to receive a response prior to the close of the preview period.

For further assistance regarding the ESRD QIP Preview Period, please visit the ESRD QIP page at www.QualityNet.org.

My Kidney Calendar | August
Each month the Network shares ideas based upon the "topic of the month" in conjunction with the 2018 My Kidney Calendar.

August's monthly topic of the My Kidney Calendar was "My Life: Prevention Saves Lives". Highlighted resources and interventions included information on vaccines, the importance of proper hand hygiene, and ways to stay infection free. Patient engagement activities related to this topic were also encouraged.

If you didn't get a chance to review them or want to see the other topics addressed so far this year, please check out the " Topic of the Month " list. You can also check out the Patient Engagement Showcase to se the creative ideas shared by dialysis facility staff found in the "My Treatment" section.
My Kidney Calendar | September
To prepare for September, check out the latest topic sheet on “ My Plan: Be Prepared ” with information on emergency preparedness activities and resources.

The Network recognizes that facilities are always working hard to develop and implement creative and engaging activities for their patients, through bulletin boards, games and lobby days to name a few.

Please share the great work you are doing through the reporting link offered with the topic sheet.

We encourage you to review the monthly "Topic of the Month"   sheet with your Network Patient Representative and brainstorm ideas on how to best address the topic in your facility. 
Patient Engagement
Network and Facility Level Opportunities
The Network strives to incorporate the patient voice into all activities.

This year, the quality improvement activities have included a patient partnership component, which encouraged all participating facilities to identify at least one patient to act as their Network Patient Representative (NPR).

We want to encourage all facilities, whether your facility is in a QIA or not, to identify and work with a NPR.

We have developed some new Heartland Huddles that we encourage you to “huddle up” with your team to discuss the NPR program and identify a NPR for your facility.

These include the NPR Overview Huddle and Identifying your NPR Huddle. Once you’ve identified a good candidate, the next step is to download and complete the NPR application .

Have You Checked Out the National Kidney Foundation Lately?
Did you know that National Kidney Foundation offers educational information for staff and patients on home therapy, transplantation, depression and have an online patient PEERS program that provides patients with mentors for support.

The National Kidney Foundation also offers KEEP Healthy Screenings, annual Kidney Walks, scholarship programs for patients and much more.  
Play Ball! New Tool for Patients
Looking for a fun way to engage your patients that are interested in or working towards Home Dialysis Training or listed on the Transplant Wait List?

Print out and use these baseball cards . These baseball cards are designed as part of the Network's quality improvement activities to increase patients:
  • Dialyzing at home
  • Listed on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) kidney transplant wait list

Learn more by contacting:
Sharlyn Bogner, MSN, RN
Phone: 816-880-1706

Call or Go Online to Get FREE Get Ahead of Sepsis Print Materials Now!
There are now two ways to order FREE Get Ahead of Sepsis print materials:
  • Online at CDC.gov/pubs. Select "Sepsis" from the Program's drop down menu and click "Search." Then select the materials you want.
  • Call 1-800-CDC-INFO to order by phone.
Here is a sampling of the materials available.
Advertisements
Fact Sheets
PSA/Poster
PSA/Poster
Patient Q&A Guide
New Dialysis Patient Depression Toolkit

The Forum's Kidney Patient Advisory Council (KPAC) is pleased to announce the release of the 
Dialysis Patient Depression Toolkit .  

Like the Grievance Toolkit, the Depression Toolkit was Written BY PATIENTS and FOR PATIENTS . 

However, with the increasing focus on depression screening and follow-up, we feel this will be an invaluable tool for facilities and care-providers as well.




Updated Dialysis Facility Compare Data Now Available

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is pleased to announce that new data on the quality of dialysis facilities will soon be available on Dialysis Facility Compare (DFC) , the website that allows patients and health centers to view and compare quality data about dialysis facilities.

CMS uses this data, organized into a series of measures, to create a rating system that can help patients make educated decisions about where to get their dialysis treatments, as well as to assist them in speaking with their healthcare team regarding their care

Medication Management and Opioid (MMO) Initiative Change Package Event
The MMO Affinity Group is excited to introduce the Opioid Management Change Package to all CMS Quality Programs: ESRD, HIINs, QIN-QIO, TCPI and our partners .  

The Change Package represents a compilation of high performing best practices for opioid management. It offers tools and approaches that local clinical practices, hospitals, health care systems, hemodialysis centers, other healthcare facilities, and other providers can utilize to better measure, predict, anticipate, and solve challenges when serving beneficiaries using opioids. 
Register and join this webinar on Aug. 30 to learn how it will best serve you in your practice delivery environment.
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.

Want more information? Questions? Click on these links: NHSN | NHSN Helpdesk
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 facilities will receive invitations to these meetings because improving the lives of dialysis patients in these areas is a global goal. The expectation is that project facilities join these calls but the calls are optional for non-participating facilities. Please also share these calls with your patients.

If you have questions, please call the Network office at 816-880-9990 . 

Upcoming Calls
  • Aug. 21 | Transplant QA LAN Call | 2-3 p.m. CT | Register
  • Aug. 22 | Patient Experience of Care (PEOC) LAN Call | 2-3 p.m. CT | Register

Materials from Previous Calls
ALERTS
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. 18.Q-ESRD12.05.046