Reminder: News, tools and resources from PATH - including a guide to providing gender-affirming care!

January 2024 | Issue 34

NEW FROM PATH

Quick Guide: Gender-Affirming Care | Download the guide

This quick guide provides facility staff with links to resources, tools and evidence-based practices around gender-affirming care to build knowledge and improve communication with patients, help eliminate health disparities and work towards health equity. The guide includes Indian Health Service (IHS) tools and resources, gender-affirming care virtual learning resources, websites, current guidelines and more!

IHS PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Proper Documentation Uses: Focusing on the Positive

Medical documentation presents challenges and builds concerns among health care professionals around poor documentation, time constraints and possible repercussions. However, proper documentation has many benefits - both for health care providers and their patients.

Learn how one IHS service unit chose to focus on overcoming the challenges of medical documentation, while giving their hard-working health care staff the credit they deserve.

TAKE 5 FOR SAFETY

New Year Planning

A new year provides new opportunity to reflect, assess and plan.

The Partnership to Advance Tribal Health (PATH) team has developed some tools and resources to help you and your teams with your 2024 patient safety planning.

Check out this month's Take 5 for Safety article to learn how to get a kick start with your new year's approach to improving patient safety.

PATH EVENTS

Health Literacy: Using Plain Language

to Support Patient Wellness and Improve Outcomes

Wednesday, January 31

12-1:30 p.m. PT | 1-2:30 p.m. MT | 2-3:30 p.m. CT | 3-4:30 p.m. ET

Join IHS leaders and PATH for a 90-minute Learning Circle on health literacy. This event will focus on:

Why health literacy is important to patient care
How to assess a patient’s health literacy level
Strategies to promote patient understanding
Discussion about documentation in the electronic health record (EHR)

This PATH Learning Circle is open to anyone working with indigenous communities. We encourage all staff, including nurses, clinicians, quality managers, departmental managers, executive leaders, frontline staff and administrative team members, to join.

Leading a Culture of Safety

Wednesday, February 28

2-3:30 p.m. ET | 1-2:30 p.m. CT | 12-1:30 p.m. MT | 11-12:30 p.m. PT

Join us for a free, 90-minute learning session for current or potential nursing leaders to discuss the importance of patient and employee safety based on current evidence and industry guidelines. Participants will take away recommendations for action and resources necessary for fostering a Culture of Safety. Register today!

We will summarize the basic components of a Culture of Safety, identify the role of leaders in demonstrating and reinforcing a Culture of Safety, and describe additional resources and support for further development in leading a Culture of Safety. One and a half (1.5) hours of nursing continuing education units (CEUs) will be available to those who attend this session. To receive CEU credits, the completion of a post-event evaluation and nursing license number will be required. CEUs approved by the Nevada State Board of Nursing.

IHS Opioid Surveillance Dashboard Office Hours | Register now

Every third Wednesday, February through May

2-3 p.m. ET | 1-2 p.m. CT | 1-12 p.m. MT | 11 a.m.-12 p.m. PT

Join the IHS National Committee on Heroin Opioids and Pain Efforts (HOPE Committee) and PATH for open office hours sessions on the use of the IHS Opioid Surveillance Dashboard (OSD). This call will support IHS users of the IHS OSD through

discussing dashboard functionality and use cases;
responding to dashboard questions;
providing a forum to discuss requests, recommendations or enhancements;
highlighting techniques to get the most out of this dashboard.

This event is free and open to IHS staff only. Registration is required to receive the call-in information.

IN THE KNOW

Patient Safety Awareness Week

Recognition of Excellence in Patient Safety

Patient Safety Awareness Week 2024 is March 10-16. It's not too early to start planning! You can also recognize the tremendous work IHS employees do every day to advance patient safety. Nominate your fellow colleagues for their patient safety work. Please provide all information included in the email link. The Office of Quality (OQ) will recognize these employees during Patient Safety Awareness Week. Check out last year's recognition newsletter.

Submit your nomination by Friday, February 23.

Save the Date!

2024 CMS Quality Conference | April 8-10

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has decided to hold their 2024 quality conference in person at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor. This year's theme is "Creating an Optimal Environment for Quality Health Care for Individuals, Families and Communities."

Registration and room blocks open February 1. Keep an eye on the quality conference website for updates.

FEBRUARY OBSERVANCES: TOOLS AND RESOURCES

American Heart Month, National Wear Red Day (Feb. 2)

and Heart Failure Awareness Week (Feb. 11-17)

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health,

American Indians/Alaska Natives are 50% more likely to be diagnosed with coronary heart disease

than their white counterparts. Among the most at-risk populations are new moms.

Learn about tools and resources to help educate and support your patients

in being aware of and improving their heart health.

Go Red for Women strives to bring awareness to gaps in care for the greatest health threat to women, cardiovascular disease. Check out this infographic and get fast facts related to heart health among American Indian/Alaska Native women. Heart health is sub-optimal among American Indian/Alaska Native women. Read about how one Alaska Native is blending traditional and Western medicine to promote maternal heart health.
Get a variety of printable handouts to help patients understand the different components of their heart health, including a heart health tracker.

Sepsis Survivor Week (Feb. 11-17)

About one in three people who survive sepsis return to the hospital within three months

of their initial diagnosis, often because of sepsis or another infection.

Be in the know about what sepsis survivors can often face.
Make sure you know how to get ahead of sepsis to prevent it in the first place.
Check out partner and patient educational materials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

World Cancer Day (Feb. 4)

We can all work together to close the gap when it comes to cancer care.

Health equity in cancer is when everyone has an equal opportunity to prevent cancer,

find it early and get proper treatment. CDC works to end cancer health disparities and improve the health of all Americans. Get information from the CDC about World Cancer Day and

refresh yourself on the cancer prevention resources available from IHS.

PARTNERSHIP TO ADVANCE TRIBAL HEALTH (PATH) | Visit the PATH website

This material was prepared by Comagine Health for the American Indian Alaska Native Healthcare Quality Initiative under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of CMS or HHS, and any reference to a specific product or entity herein does not constitute endorsement of that product or entity by CMS or HHS. NQIIC-AIHQI-478-01/21/2024