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A Bi-Weekly Newsletter for Quality Insights Renal Network 4
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In This Issue
Network 4 Annual Council Meeting Presentation and Recording Now Available


alerts & recalls


Quick links


Welcome to the June 29 issue of the Quality Insights Renal Network 4 e-newsletter. In this issue, we bring you information about the Network 4 Council Meeting, patient education features, our quality improvement activities, upcoming events, National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) updates, CROWNWeb updates, continuing education opportunities,  resources and much more. We encourage you to  contact us with any questions, concerns or suggestions.  
FeedbackPlease provide us with your feedback on last month's Facility-LED PATIENT EDUCATION
Please take this short survey to let us know what you thought about last month's facility-led patient education topics
FeaturedEducation2FACILITY-LED PATIENT EDUCATION TOPIC OF THE MONTH: 
Access to Care
We will be providing a Network 4 Patient Education Sheet each month in 2018. These documents are also located on  our website. Please provide all of your patients with this education sheet this month.   Also, we ask that you please encourage your facility's Patient  Representatives to pass out this educational information as well. 
CouncilMeetingPresnetwork council meeting presentation and recording now available  
In case you missed our Network 4 Council Meeting on June 6, the presentation slides and recording are now available on our website.  
 
NewResource NEW RESOURCEs: WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE HOME dialysis?  
Quality Insights Renal Network 4 recently completed two new educational outreach pieces around the topic of choosing home dialysis. These resources explore the benefits of peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis. Check out the new tri-fold brochureCheck out the new poster
QIAsQuality Improvement Activities (QIAs)

Increasing Patient Participation in network 4's quality improvement activities through Subject Matter Experts 
Many patients with kidney disease face barriers in completing the necessary steps required to be on the transplant waitlist. Studies show that peer support is effective. As a result, Network 4 - in consultation with its patient subject matter experts (SMEs) - is in the process of developing guidelines for a Patient Advocacy Initiative focused on improving the patient transplant waitlist status and home dialysis training initiations. Our goal is to build a pipeline of patients helping patients. Patient Advocates will be available for patient-to-patient sharing of experiences. The goal is to encourage/guide patients as they move through the processes of transplant evaluation and home therapy initiation. We currently have three SMEs partnering with four facilities.

"stitches of hope" campaign encourages getting on transplant waitlist 
One of Network 4's four Quality Improvement Activities (QIA) is focused on increasing the number of patients on the Transplant Waitlist and there are currently 100 Network 4 facilities participating. As a creative way to keep track of patients who are waitlisted during the project period, Network 4, in consultation with our patient/caregiver subject matter experts, is creating a "Stitches of Hope" quilt. Imagine if 100 facilities are able to assist at least 10 patients each to get on the transplant waitlist. We could exceed CMS' goal! One of our caregivers has drafted a design and will make the quilt. 

Featured Patient Testimonial: 
Houa's Story

Check out an inspirational story from Houa Yang, a caregiver for several family members who suffered from kidney disease. Houa knows the benefit of kidney transplant first hand through experience with her mother and siblings. Read Houa's story

Learn more about the "Stitches of Hope" quilt campaign.
UpcomingEventsUpcoming Events
rsn announces 16th annual essay contest
The Renal Support Network's (RSN) Annual Patient Essay Contest provides an outstanding opportunity for people who have chronic kidney disease (CKD), including people on dialysis and kidney transplant recipients, to make a valuable contribution to society by expressing their ideas, views, and most importantly, hope. This year, the theme asks the writers to "Tell us about someone (Doctor, Nurse, Family member, Friend, Patient, Pet) who has inspired, encourage or educated you on how to live well with kidney disease."  All submissions must be written by someone who has been diagnosed with CKD.

Contest winners will receive cash prizes: 
  • First Place, $500
  • Second Place, $300
  • Third Place, $100

The submission deadline is August 10, 2018. Winners will be announced on September 20, 2018, and winning essays will be featured in RSN's new magazine Live & Give and on RSNHope.org. Learn more

NHSNUpdatesNHSN Updates

nhsn version 8.9 released
National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) version 8.9 was released on April 28. Highlights of the changes to the Dialysis Event Component are included below. There were no changes made to the Healthcare Personnel Safety Modules.
  • Working Days Calculator for Denominators for Dialysis Event Surveillance Form - A new calculator has been created to help users determine the first two working days of the month when reporting Denominators for Dialysis Event Surveillance. Check it out

  • Dialysis rate tables and run charts have been updated with 2016 aggregate data. 
  • 'TAP Report - Bloodstream Infection (BSI) Data' has been renamed to 'Excess Infections - Bloodstream (BSI) Data' and updated to allow group users to view the number of excess infections grouped by summary year (summaryYr), summary quarter (summaryYQ), and summary half year (summaryYH).
  • Clinical Document Architecture (CDA): Dialysis summary for AKI location that contains all zeroes may be a valid entry or import. Note - CDA DE-summary is required to contain value for "# of patients for whom dialyzers are reused."
Required Dialysis Event Surveillance Training
CMS requires that at least one person from each outpatient dialysis facility that is eligible to report positive blood cultures (PBC), IV antibiotic starts, and pus, redness and swelling (PRS) to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) in 2018, complete the Annual NHSN Dialysis Event Surveillance Training. Eligible facilities include:
  • Facilities that provide in-center hemodialysis to at least 11 in-center hemodialysis patients
  • Facilities that have a CMS Certification date prior to January 1, 2018 

Learn more about eligibility.

Starting in 2018, Network 4 must verify, track, and report to CMS on a monthly basis the number of facilities completing this training for 2018. Please complete the following steps as soon as possible. 

  1. Complete the training and attestation no later than September 28.
  2. Print the certificate of completion. 
  3. Attest to completion of the training.

Dialysis Event Training/Re-training is available:  

Deadline extended for re-Consent Process
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces a deadline extension for completing the online National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Agreement to Participate and Consent form, referred to as the Consent in this announcement. The new deadline for completing the Consent, July 9, 2018 , applies to ALL facilities currently enrolled in NHSN regardless of their CMS participation. 

The reconsent is accessible to only the NHSN Facility Administrator or Primary Contact user. The new deadline provides additional time for each facility's NHSN Facility Administrator or Primary Contact to complete the online Consent and avoid any interruptions in access to the NHSN application, including access for purposes of submitting data to meet local, state, or federal reporting requirements. Please be informed that if the Consent is not completed by the new deadline, access to NHSN will be temporarily suspended. Additionally, users will receive an error message when they attempt to log into NHSN redirecting them to the Facility Administrator or Primary Contact.

NHSN is pleased to assist with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the Consent process. Learn more on how to complete the NHSN Agreement to Participate and Consent process. You may also direct questions to NHSN@cdc.gov.
CMSUpdatesCMS Updates
Save the date: July 11 - QIP Py2019 webinar
On July 11, 2018 CMS will present a webinar on the PY2019 Preview Period to discuss how to access, review, and submit clarification questions and/or a formal inquiry about a facility's estimated scores before the close of the Preview Period. Find details and register
Py2019 QIP preview period
The PY2019 Preview Period for the ESRD Quality Incentive Program (QIP) will begin on July 23, 2018, and end on August 23, 2018. The Preview Period provides an important opportunity for each facility to review and pose questions about its ESRD QIP scores and any potential payment reductions that may result. During the Preview Period, facilities will be able to access a PSR to learn about how their estimated Total Performance Scores were calculated. CMS updated this year's Preview PSR to provide more-streamlined reporting of facility performance.

In preparation of the PY 2019 Preview Period, CMS encourages all facilities to review and update their authorized users in accordance with the updated password requirements for EIDM accounts as applied to EQRS. Learn more . Each facility also must designate a point of contact (POC) in EQRS; facilities without a POC will not be able to access their Preview PSRs, nor will they be able to submit clarification questions or a formal inquiry . If your facility has not established authorized users and a POC, CMS encourages you to do so as soon as possible.

Visit the QualityNet ESRD QIP Resources page to learn more and access tools. Bring questions or concerns about use of the ESRD QIP system to the QualityNet Help Desk at qnetsupport-esrd@hcqis.org, or call (866) 288-8912 Monday-Friday between 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. PDT.
june 2018 CROWNWEb Newsletter now available
The June 2018 edition of the CROWNWeb Newsletter is now available online. The CROWNWeb Newsletter focuses on user-specific topics, such as training, account management, use of the CROWNWeb system, and tips and tricks, as well as key technical aspects of CROWNWeb.

This month's featured stories include:
  • CROWN Data Discrepancy Support Wins Award
  • Maintaining System Access
  • CROWNWeb Maintenance
CEUOppsEducation and CEU Opportunities
Advanced Renal Education
This educational site provides CEU credits for anyone who completes a course. Register to gain access and complete a course.
American Kidney Fund
The American Kidney Fund offers several online courses that provide free CEs for health care professionals. Learn more
Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality
The Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality is now offering short, interactive samples of courses to get a feel for how it creates engaging learning experiences that are relevant and applicable to your work improving patient safety. Samples are now available for the following cours es:
  • Patient Safety Certificate Program
  • Human Factors for Patient Safety
  • Becoming a Patient Safety Hero
  • Foundations of CUSP
These samples will work on mobile devices; however, for the best experience use on a laptop or desktop computer. Browse the course catalog for details on all courses, including continuing education credits, learning objectives and costs.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Crisis & Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) Program
CDC's Crisis & Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) program will present on July 11, 2018 a free continuing-education webinar on Messages and Audiences that will provide guidance on how to understand your audience(s) in an emergency, adapt messaging to reach and promote action in different audience segments, and how to use facts to build credibility and trust.  Learn more

Tune In for Safe Healthcare Webinar Series
The CDC has new free continuing education opportunities available through its Tune In for Safe Healthcare webinar series. Webinars include: 
  • Empowering Nurses to Protect Themselves and Their Patients: The Importance of Collaboration between Nurses and Environmental Services
  • Infections in Dialysis Centers: Understanding what Matters to Patients
  • Empowering Nurses for Early Sepsis Recognition
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and Medscape
CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) presents a FREE continuing education activity on the following topic:
  • Prevention of Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis with Vaccines

In support of improving patient care, Medscape, LLC is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. If you are not a registered user on Medscape, please register for free or login without a password and get unlimited access to all continuing education activities and other Medscape features.

renal physicians association e-Learning portal offers new course
The Renal Physicians Association (RPA) has an eLearning portal that offers a wide variety of courses. The newest course, 2018 Fundamentals of Nephrology Coding and Billing, is now available online. This course will provide a better understanding of the federal and regulatory requirements for proper nephrology coding, billing and documentation. 
ESRDResourcesESRD Resources
Latest edition of KCER Watch is Now Available  
The  June 2018 issue of KCER Watch , the monthly environmental scan that provides timely and pertinent information related to emergency preparedness, is now available. Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) reviews available literature from peer-reviewed journals and emergency and disaster related trade publications; social media postings; and stakeholder websites to identify news and events in the emergency management field that are beneficial to the ESRD community.  The goal of KCER Watch is to facilitate the exchange of information, sharing of resources, and advancement of knowledge and expertise among ESRD and emergency management stakeholders. The Network encourage you to share KCER Watch with your colleagues and patients. 
Latest edition of The Express is Now Available  
The latest edition of the Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) newsletter, The Express, is now available. 
Check out the ESRD NCC Information Exchange
The ESRD Network Coordinating Center (NCC) provides centralized coordination and support for the Medicare ESRD Network program. Each month, the ESRD NCC distributes an e-newsletter, known as the Information Exchange, that compiles the most important information from numerous ListServs and publications related to renal health. To sign up to receive this informative newsletter, please contact the ESRD NCC at ncc@ncc.esrd.net or visit the ESRD NCC website

 
Executive Director
Quality Improvement Director
Quality Improvement Coordinator
Quality Improvement Coordinator
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610 Freedom Business Center,  
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(610) 265-2418 
(800) 548-9205 (patients only) 
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IMPORTANT NOTE:
This bi-weekly e-newsletter will serve as our primary method of communicating important news and updates. We encourage you to visit our Web site for the most up-to-date information or to contact us with questions, comments or suggestions.
 
This material was prepared by Quality Insights Renal Network 4 under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The contents do not necessarily reflect CMS policy.

Publication No. ESRD4-062718