Qsource ESRD Networks remain dedicated to dialysis facilities and patients during the COVD-19 pandemic. We are here to provide support in maintaining quality of care for ESRD patients and to provide resources from credible sources to assist you with management of COVID-19.
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New Tool from Qsource ESRD Networks!
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Change in Condition Alert
for LongTerm Care Patient Transitions to and from Dialysis
Dialysis patients coming from long term care facilities are at especially high risk for infections and factors that complicate the containment of illnesses, like COVID-19. We are piloting a
new communication tool
to serve as a "Heads Up" alert to share between teams at facilities that provide care. The intent of the form is to quickly share new instances of respiratory illness, disease or COVID-19 at either a patient or a facility level which would then lead to additional communications and inform the care team of the appropriate and safe treatment for the patient. We hope that you find this tool useful.
Please share your thoughts with the Network Quality Improvement Teams here:
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Telligen LTC Office Hours
End-Stage Renal Disease and COVID-19, Prevalence Communication and Challenges
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Please join us to hear from End-Stage Renal Disease Networks 10, 12, 13 and 15 covering Iowa, Illinois, Colorado and Oklahoma. The Networks will talk about how COVID-19 has impacted the dialysis populations in these regions and present a communication tool to increase communication between long term care and dialysis centers. We will answer questions from participants regarding barriers or opportunities to improve relations with dialysis centers.
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Date:
July 16
Time:
2 p.m. CT
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Earn Free CE Credit: Increased Relevance of Advance Care Planning in the COVID-19 Era
The need for advance care planning (ACP) has taken on greater significance and urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this webinar, the panelists examine the realities on the front line of COVID-19 as they relate to the lack of advance care planning by the U.S. population, particularly in vulnerable populations.
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Coping with COVID-19: Watch the NIH Event Recording
The types of mental health symptoms people may experience as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as when and where to get professional help was the topic of a discussion hosted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins and NIMH Director Dr. Joshua Gordon.
Watch a recording
of the livestream event.
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Extraordinary Circumstances Exceptions (ECE) Policy
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) offers a process for dialysis facilities to request, and for CMS to grant, exceptions when extraordinary circumstances occur beyond the control of the facility and have an effect upon regular operations. This is a way for CMS to ensure that any impact to performance caused by the extraordinary circumstance does not factor into ESRD QIP scores.
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#ActiveandHealthy #EmotionalWellness
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Getting the Most Out of Telehealth for Home Dialysis Patients
The current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is forcing unprecedented changes in daily life. The nephrology community has been forced to adapt quickly to a new reality. Check out this blog from
Home Dialysis Central
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Re-Opening America: What Patients Should Know About Seeking Healthcare
As areas of the United States experience a decline in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, healthcare providers and facilities are preparing to re-open to all health care services. Here are some recommendations to help guide patients as they consider seeking non-emergency treatment. Available in both
English
and
Spanish
.
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You Can Support Ongoing Patient Engagement!
Invite your patients to join a Peer Connection call with the Network. This will require minimal burden from clinic staff and will allow patients to speak to a group of their peers about topics that are important to them.
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Healthcare Professional Preparedness Checklist for Transport and Arrival of Patients with Confirmed or Possible
COVID-19
Front-line healthcare personnel in the United States should be prepared to evaluate patients for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The following checklist highlights key steps for healthcare personnel in preparation for transport and arrival of patients with confirmed or possible COVID-19.
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Addressing Emotions on the
Front Lines
This resource
from the American Hospital Association identifies techniques for front-line providers to use when patients are experiencing increased emotion, worry or frustration. Using empathy, active listening and transparency enables hospital staff to provide support for patients and their families, build trusting relationships and diffuse conflicts even in times of crisis.
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ESRD NCC Quickinars
To support ongoing COVID-19 information and education needs in the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network community, the ESRD National Coordinating Center (NCC) is facilitating a series of COVID-19 educational events. These 30-minute events - known as "quickinars" - will feature professional and patient subject matter experts from around the country sharing how they or their organizations are coping with and combatting COVID-19 in their areas of practice. You can
register for Provider or Patient events here
. Recordings of previous events can also be found at the link above.
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How to Safely Wear and Take Off a Cloth Face Covering
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Many people have begun to utilize non-sterile face-coverings to protect themselves when leaving home is required. In an effort to support this method and educate the public on safe practices to prevent the spread of germs, please print and share this resource highlighting
How to Safely Wear and Take Off a Cloth Face Covering
.
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From Language of Caring
Staff Meeting Idea: Does the Coronavirus have a Silver Lining?
COVID-19 is causing heartbreaking deaths, severe economic hardships, and rampant anxiety and stress. It has been a worldwide horror, and reading the news is often excruciatingly painful and disturbing. There are some positive consequences, and admitting to these, even relishing these, provides some degree of comfort. For instance:
- Find new ways to connect with each other and loved ones.
- See firsthand how important community is and look for ways to contribute.
- Feel boundless appreciation for people—the caregivers, grocery store workers, janitors, teachers, truck drivers, and more —people who are a foundation of support for people needing health care, feeding their families, helping their kids get some education, and much more.
- Stay connected and even get a lot of work done with the help of Zoom and other media.
- Realize that making change and sacrifices is for the greater good.
- Learn from the successes of coming together and apply that spirit and success to tackling disparities, inequality, and climate change.
Instructions:
- Consider YOUR experience with COVID 19.
- What are two POSITIVES that you think have come from it—whether in your own family or the world.?
- What is one message you wish we would all carry forward to make a better world?
- Invite people to share.
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CMS Press Releases
Looking for a specific press release or information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid? For a complete and updated list of CMS actions, and other information specific to CMS, please visit the
Current Emergencies Website
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Qsource ESRD Networks are actively monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and impact for the kidney community and have put in place necessary measures to protect our workplaces, our staff and their families. At the same time, we continue to serve and support patients, healthcare partners and stakeholders, as we work together through the coronavirus pandemic to ensure the very best outcomes possible for our communities.
This webpage
shares important news, information and updates directly from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and from state and local health authorities. As new information becomes available, we will
post it here
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This newsletter was prepared and distributed by Qsource ESRD Network 10 under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (contract number HHSM-500-2016-00010C and HHSM-500-2016-00012C). The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. 20.Q-ESRD.05.072
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ESRD Network 10: 317-257-8265 | Patient Line: 800-456-6919
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Website
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ESRD Network 12: 816-880-9990 | Patient Line: 800-444-9965
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Website
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