Monthly Archives: September 2014

Network Consumer News in Spanish

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We’ve added a Spanish edition of our patient newsletter Network Consumer News (aka Novedades para el consumidor de la Red) to the Network website, starting with the June issue on “Body Image, Palliative Care, and Vocational Rehabilitation,” or “Tómeselo con calma, Cuidado paliativo, et Rehabilitación Vocacional.”  Find it at http://www.nwrenalnetwork.org/P/NCN.htm.

CROWNWeb Q&A, Deadlines

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CROWNWeb has posted the slides from their September 25 online Version 4.5 Q&A Town Hall, at http://projectcrownweb.org/assets/Webex/TownHall-2014-09/CROWNWeb_4.5-Questions_and_Answers.pdf.

The slides include a recently announced change in CROWNWeb clinical data deadlines:

  • Clinical data for October, November, and December 2014 will close on January 31, 2015
  • After January 1, 2015, each individual month will close two months afterwards.  For instance, January will close March 31, February will close April 30, etc.

The change was announced September 19.

I Am More than My Dialysis

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We’ve placed a template titled “There Is More to Me than Just Being a Dialysis Patient”  in the Patient Engagement Campaign section of the Network Learning and Action Network (LAN) web page at http://www.nwrenalnetwork.org/QI/LAN/LAN.htm#pteng.  It’s in MSWord format so you can modify it.

This new tool was developed by the Network’s Patient Learning and Action Network, to aid in helping your staff get to know more about your patients.  Some ideas to consider:

  • Have new patients fill it out and post their photo on it
  • Share the forms with staff, so they can know more about the patients’ life outside of dialysis, their communication preferences and learning style, etc.
  • Consider posting the completed forms in the staff break room – to personalize their understanding of individual patients
  • Post the form on the facility bulletin board to introduce new patients (only with patient permission)

Please be mindful of HIPPA privacy and security rules – for instance, if you or your patient includes a birthday, don’t put in a year or age.

Medicare Open Enrollment Poster

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Northwest Renal Network’s monthly patient flyer is now posted on our website at http://www.nwrenalnetwork.org/P/M/Monthly.htm.  The featured topic for September is the Medicare Open Enrollment Period.  These flyers are designed for posting in the facility waiting area, and for distribution to patients and family members.  Contact our Patient Services Director, Lisa Hall (lhall@nw16.esrd.net) if you have questions or ideas for future monthly topics.

Last Call to Serve on Network Board

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The Northwest Renal Network Nominating Committee is seeking nominations for the 2015 Northwest Renal Network Board of Directors.  The nominating process will be open until October 15, 2014.  With updated guidelines from CMS, we are expanding the board from 11 to 15 members.  Additionally, we are looking to diversify the board not only geographically and ethnically but also to include other professions such as statisticians, epidemiologists, medical records managers, financial analysts from additional health care settings such as hospitals, nursing homes and home health, as well as traditional health professions in dialysis and transplant.  If you are interested or know someone who might be interested in serving on the board, please contact Stephanie Hutchinson at shutchinson@nw16.esrd.net.

Immunization and Flu

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We’ve added this year’s “Immunization Flyer Store” to the Network website, with a large collection of downloadable flyer/poster/handouts on hand washing, influenza, hepatitis, vaccination, and MRSA.  Find it at http://www.nwrenalnetwork.org/QI/imm.htm,

CMS’s Medicare Learning Network has also released an MLN Matters Fact Sheet on “2014-2015 Influenza (Flu) Resources for Health Care Professionals” with a wide variety of tools on immunization, prevention, billing, and related sources.  You can find this one at http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNMattersArticles/Downloads/SE1431.pdf.

NHSN Deadline 9/30

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In order to qualify for the PY2016 QIP, all Dialysis Event Surveillance data for January 1 through June 20, 2014 must be submitted in final form to NHSN by September 30, 2014.  Additions and changes made to the NHSN database after September 30 will not be reported to CMS.  For details see http://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/dialysis/faq/faq-ESRD-QIP.html, but note that the June 30 deadline for first-quarter data was extended to September 30.