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 December is Transplants. 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.
CMS has announced that as of December 17, 2014 the Final Performance Score Reports (PSRs) and Performance Score Certificates (PSCs) for PY2015 are available at http://www.DialysisReports.org . Facilities are required to download their PY2015 PSC from this website and have it posted in their unit on or before January 2, 2015.
Whether you received a Total Performance Score or not, all facilities are required to print and display their PY2015 PSC, in both English and Spanish, for the entire year, in plain view in a public area where it will be easily visible for all patients and their representatives. The Facility Medical Director must sign both versions.
Beginning January 15, 2015, all QIP operations on http://www.DialysisReports.org will cease. After that date you will no longer be able to access information from this website. Before the January 15 shutdown, please save an electronic copy of your final PY2015 PSR/PSC for your records. These functions will be transitioned to a new website, and details announced, in the future.
CMS has released a Fact Sheet on the Medical Privacy of Protected Health Information, a two-page “Medical Professional’s Privacy Guide.” Find it at http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/Downloads/SE0726FactSheet.pdf .
We’ve posted the Portland Kidney Group patient meeting schedule for 2015 on our Patient Calendar at https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/patient-education-calendar/
The first meeting is a Kick Off Support Group Meeting on January 18. For details see http://www.nwrenalnetwork.org/N/PKGCalendar2015.pdf.
The Northwest Renal Dietitians have announced their 2015 Annual Conference, to be held in Seattle March 5-6, 2015. For details see https://sites.google.com/site/nwrdonline/ . Find the stipend application information mentioned at https://drive.google.com/viewerng/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxud3Jkb25saW5lfGd4OjQ4MDllMWZlOGFjOTU1ZGM.
CMS will hold a National Provider Call on January 21, 2015 on the PY2017 and PY2018 ESRD QIP final rule that was published in November. The agenda will include the final measures, standards, scoring methodology, and payment reduction scale that are applied to the PY2017-18 programs, how the PY2017-18 programs compare to PY2016, where to find additional information about the program, and a question and answer session. For details and registration see http://www.eventsvc.com/blhtechnologies/register/41a673e1-0370-46df-8864-2b3d64d088e7.
CMS has also published clarifications regarding eligibility for the low-volume payment adjustment in the ESRD QIP. For details see http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNMattersArticles/Downloads/MM8898.pdf.
The Conditions for Coverage (CfC) require all facilities to notify both the Network and your State Survey Agency, within specified time parameters, of all involuntary discharges and transfers.
We would like to remind facilities of the document “Notifying the Network of Involuntary Discharges and Involuntary Transfers,” available at http://www.nwrenalnetwork.org/G/Involuntary.pdf. This document was created to assist dialysis facilities in complying with the requirements of the CfC and Survey Interpretative Guidelines, and to help facilities understand what Northwest Renal Network will be requesting in order for it to fulfill Network goals and the terms of its current CMS Contract. You can find a link to this IVD/IVT document on our Social Workers page, http://www.nwrenalnetwork.org/SW/SW.htm.
Better yet, if you’re considering an involuntary discharge or transfer, first contact the Network Patient Services Coordinator, Lisa Hall (lhall@nw16.esrd.net), to help you negotiate a better outcome.
There’s a nice summary of the new Kidney Allocation System (KAS) that has gone into effect this month, in an attempt to improve organ allocation for transplant, at http://ajkdblog.org/2014/12/04/its-finally-here-the-new-us-kidney-allocation-system/ . The official UNOS/OPTN announcement is at http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/news/revised-national-kidney-transplant-allocation-system-is-now-in-place/ . Find UNOS training materials for the new KAS at http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/learn/professional-education/kidney-allocation-system/ and Compliance requirements for transplant centers at http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/governance/compliance/optn-evaluation-plan/.
1 of 3: The deadline for making additions or changes to your NHSN dialysis event records for the third quarter of 2014 is December 31, 2014. Changes made after this date will not count toward your PY2016 QIP.
2 of 3: NHSN has begun changing over to the 2015 version, which will include
Details on these features will be available when the 2015 materials are complete.
3 of 3: Documentation for the 2014 Dialysis NHSN will be overwritten as the 2015 documentation becomes available. Should you need it, we’ve saved a copy of the 2014 material at http://www.nwrenalnetwork.org/Infections.htm#nhsn14.
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