CROWNWeb Deadline Extended

CMS Extends February 2015 Clinical Month Closure Date

CMS has extended the closure of the February 2015 clinical month from April 30, 2015 to May 7, 2015 at 11:59 PM ET. Facilities must finalize and submit ALL clinical data in CROWNWeb for February by this deadline. Required data includes February’s clinical information for each patient for:

• Hemodialysis
• Peritoneal Dialysis
• Vascular Access

Facilities must make sure that all patients with missing or saved clinical data are submitted by the deadline.

April Provider Newsletter

We’ve posted a copy of the April Network 16 News provider newsletter to our website at https://www.nwrn.org/providers-and-professional-staff/nw16n.html .  It contains articles on…

• The “Lixelle Column,” which is used during hemodialysis to remove a toxic molecule that dialysis misses; for more details see http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/DeviceApprovalsandClearances/Recently-ApprovedDevices/ucm439036.htm
• The Network’s Network Consumer News patient newsletter
• CROWNWeb deadlines, including April 30 for February 2015 clinical data

and short notes on…

• Involuntary Discharge
• The May 6 CNSW meeting in Tualatin OR
• The September 25-27 AAKP National Patient Meeting in Nashville TN
• A Save-the-Date notice for the October 25 Network Annual Provider Meeting

To keep track of meetings and deadlines for facility staff and patients, monitor our Facility Calendar and Patient Calendar via the links at the top of this page.

Patient Poster on Low Salt Snacks

We’ve added to the Network website a new poster/flyer for patients on Miss the Crunch? Try These Low-Salt Snack Ideas.  Find the flyer at https://www.nwrn.org/patients-a-family/ptedres/mon.html .

Online Catheter BSI Webinar

A recording of the webinar on Eliminating Blood Stream Infection in Patients with a Dialysis Catheter: A Matter of Life and Death, presented on April 14 by the ESRD Network Coordinating Council, is now online at http://esrdncc.org/professionals/hai/ .  CEs will be available for watching the recording.  For details see http://esrdncc.org/dialysis-catheter-related-blood-stream-infections-webinar-available-online-april-23-2015/ .  Find the original announcement at https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2015/03/16/ncc-webinar-on-catheter-bsi-414/ .

QDFC Comment Period May 1-15

CMS has placed DFC measures from the April 2015 QDFC-Preview on the Dialysis Data website, for posting on Dialysis Facility Compare in July.  Facilities may comment on them between May 1 and May 15, 2015 at https://www.dialysisdata.org/ .

Recall: More MedComp Catheters

The FDA has announced recalls on more varieties of MedComp Catheters.  For details see http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/enforcement/enforce_rpt-Product-Tabs.cfm?action=select&recall_number=Z-1351-2015&w=04082015&lang=eng .  For the earlier Medcomp recall see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/recall-medcomp-hd-catheters/ .

Kidney Health Initiative Invites Patient Participation

The Kidney Health Initiative (KHI) is a collaboration between the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Society of Nephrology with the goal of fostering innovation in the care of kidney patients.  KHI has invited patients, family, and care partners to participate in a series of webinars and conference calls to provide input to the FDA on patient preferences.  If you’re interested, register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DMKPZLN for an introductory webinar, on

• Tuesday April 14, 2015 at 2-3 pm PDT
• Wednesday April 22, 2015 at 5-6 pm PDT
• Friday April 24, 2015 at 9-10am PDT

Register by the day before the webinar.  Find out more about KHI at http://www.asn-online.org/khi/ .  KHI has produced an introductory video, at http://www.asn-online.org/khi/patients.aspx?ID=2 .