"Life is a span of time. Endless. Never ceasing."
— Shared by Avery Wills, Kidney Transplant, Iowa.
Sandy Cannon is the Information Management and ESRD Network Project Coordinator. She has been with the Network since 2013. Sandy works in CROWNWeb assisting dialysis and transplant facilities, entering transplant information including 2728s and 2746s, assisting with 2744s, maintaining the action list and helping the Network departments with various projects.

If you ever have a question about the Network, please reach out to us at 816-880-9990 . 
Three Good Things:
A Powerful Happiness Exercise
This happiness-boosting exercise might seem too simple, but “Three Good Things” has been found to be extremely powerful in increasing your daily levels of happiness.

And remember, though the activity seems simple, doing it diligently is actually not.

What You Should Know for the 2018-2019 Flu Season
Getting a flu vaccine every year is the best way to protect yourself and your family from flu and its potentially serious complications. CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated by the end of October.

What is new this flu season?
  • Flu vaccines have been updated to better match circulating flu viruses
  • Any licensed, age-appropriate flu vaccines are recommended
  • The nasal spray flu vaccine (LAIV) is again a vaccine option. Ask your health care provider about what vaccine is right for you

Fight flu this season by getting your flu vaccine and encouraging others to protect themselves and their loved ones by doing the same. Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #FightFlu.

Have You Heard About KEPRO’s Patient Navigation Program for People with Medicare?
This free program can help your patients figure out what care they need and to better understand their care.
KEPRO can:
  • Coordinate patient’s care
  • Help patients think about questions they may want to ask their doctor at their next scheduled appointment
  • Give patients tips on how to manage their medications
  • Help patients understand their treatment plan or diagnosis
  • Provide resources and information to help keep patients healthy
For more information or to apply for the program, call 855-408-8557 and enter extension 8770 when prompted.

Medicare Open Enrollment Information Session
Join the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Kansas City Regional Office via free 60-minute webinar for a Medicare Open Enrollment Informational Session.

If you serve beneficiaries, or pre-retirees, or just need a better understanding of how to shop for a Medicare Health or Drug Plan during Fall Medicare Open Enrollment, please register via the link for the session. 

This year’s Medicare Open Enrollment Period is Oct.15-Dec. 7.  

Call Date: Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018
Call Time: 2-3 p.m. CT
Network Staff Changes
Our Quality Improvement Manager and ESRD Wiz, Sharlyn Bogner, has stepped down from her full-time duties at the Network after five great years. Sharlyn has been a tremendous asset to the Renal Community for over 40 years working in many roles to include facility administrator, transplant coordinator and quality improvement. Sharlyn will remain a part of the Network team PRN.
 
New Resources from the National Patient and Family Engagement Learning and Action Network (NPFE-LAN)
The NPFE-LAN is a partnership between patients, family members, caregivers, and dialysis providers.

Each year, the NPFE-LAN has four separate small groups, called Affinity Groups, focused on specific areas of dialysis and transplant care.
Study says More than 600 Lives Saved per Year with Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs

Implementing a coordinated program to improve antimicrobial use in outpatient kidney hemodialysis facilities nationwide would result in 629 fewer infection-related deaths per year among hemodialysis patients, a new AHRQ-funded study has projected.

Approximately 30 percent of antimicrobial doses administered in these facilities are considered unnecessary, leading to increased multidrug-resistant organism and Clostridium difficile infections. 
 
Improving Patient Experience
and Satisfaction

The Network is happy to share two new Heartland Huddle sheets on Relationship Centered Care (RCC).

During a recent Patient Experience of Care LAN, RCC was discussed during a webinar .

If you didn’t have a chance to attend, we encourage you to review this wonderful presentation and consider reviewing our new huddle sheets.



Patient Resources for Patients by Patients: Our Patient Advisor Council (PAC) Members in Action
This year, the ESRD Network Coordinating Center (NCC) has been working with patients from all 18 Networks to develop resources to assist patients with four different small groups, called affinity groups, focused on specific areas of dialysis and transplant care.

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

October's monthly topic of the My Kidney Calendar was "My Network: Rights and Responsibilities". This month we encourage all facilities to conduct a patient engagement activity with your patients highlighting patient's rights as well as responsibilities. We shared some of the resources last month in order to prepare.

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 | November
To prepare for November – review the latest topic sheet for resources and activities on “ My Life: Thriving more than Surviving ” with information to help patients thrive and have their optimum quality of life beyond the treatment chair.

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. 
FREE Webinar: The Role of Data
in the Opioid Crisis

Date: Oct. 11 | Time: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. CST

Event Objectives:
  • Explore existing data resources to help understand opioid prescription practices and drive improvements.

  • Identify best-practice methods for utilizing data to decrease inappropriate opioid prescriptions.

  • Collaborate and network with clinicians and leaders across the care continuum to reduce opioid misuse.
Network Patient Representative Program (NPR) Connection Calls

This month’s NPR Connection Calls will be held Oct. 11 and 12 at 1p.m. CT .

The goal of these calls is to provide an opportunity for NPRs to connect with the Network and each other, share ideas, and learn what they can do at their clinic to support other patients.

In addition to sharing information on the Network QIAs, our focus in October will be the on “Thriving more than Surviving” to share ideas to plan an activity in connection with the November topic of the month.

Please encourage your NPR to attend one of the calls and staff is always welcome to join, too.

Register online or phone: 1-888-537-7715 Access Code: 885-90-323#.

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 (Links will be emailed to facilities when available)
  • Oct. 9 | Increase Home Modality QIA LAN Call | 2-3 p.m. CT | Register
  • Oct. 16 | Increase Transplant Waitlist QIA LAN Call | 2-3 p.m. CT | Register
(Featured Presenter: David Klassen, MD, The United Network for Organ Sharing UNOS)
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