12/31 Stipend Deadline for Dietititans Conference 3/3-4/16 in Troutdale OR

The Northwest Renal Dietitians will hold their 2016 Annual Conference near Portland March 3-4, 2016, hosted by the Oregon Council on Renal Nutrition.  Topics will include advance planning, nutrition assessment, appetite, acidosis, Fe-based PO4-binders, K/P transplants, marijuana, behavior change, inflammation, and diabetes.  For full details, including agenda, registration, accommodations, call for abstracts and posters, links to digital handouts, and stipend application (deadline December 31, 2015), see:

• http://nwrdonline.wix.com/nwrdonline#!2016-conference/c1op9

Warning: Lubricious Coatings on Intravascular Devices

The FDA has warned that hydrophilic and/or hydrophobic coatings may separate (e.g., peel, flake, shed, delaminate, slough off) from intravascular medical devices and potentially cause serious injuries to patients.  Coating separation can be caused by the difficulty of the procedure, patient’s anatomy, practitioner technique, using the wrong device for the procedure, improper preconditioning of the device, improper storage conditions, or issues with device design or manufacturing processes.  The FDA provides a long list of cautions and recommendations, at http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm473794.htm .

November Network News

The headline article in the November issue of Network 16 News is about the 2015 Exemplary Practice Awards (see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2015/11/07/network-2015-exemplary-practice-awards/ ).  

We’ve also included:

• A reminder that CMS requires all dialysis facilities to notify the Network when its operations are impacted by emergency events (see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/report-all-disruptions-to-the-network/ )
• A note about patients who haven’t been showing up for dialysis.  The Lost-to-Followup form mentioned in that note can be found at https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrenalnetworkorg/net16/SW/LTF.pdf 
• Notes about continuing education opportunities in early 2016:
  • February Annual Dialysis Conference in Seattle; see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2015/10/02/adc-abstract-deadline-105/
  • March NWRD Annual Conference; see http://nwrdonline.wix.com/nwrdonline#!2016-conference/c1op9.  Watch this space in a few days for a notice about stipend applications, due December 31, 2015
  • April NKF Spring Clinical Meetings; see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2015/11/19/stipends-to-scm16-for-social-workers/

Find the full edition at:

• https://www.nwrn.org/providers-and-professional-staff/nw16n.html

Patient Poster on Caregiving

We’ve added the November Monthly Patient Flyer/Poster to the Network website.  It celebrates National Family Caregivers Month, and we join the rest of the world in a bow of appreciation to all of the caregivers out there.  Find this and all of our historical Monthly Patient Posters at: 

• https://www.nwrn.org/patients-a-family/ptedres/mon.html

If you have questions or suggestions for future Patient Flyers, please contact Patient Services Director Lisa Hall at lhall@nw16.esrd.net .  

Recall: Baxter 15L Cycler Drainage Bags

The FDA has announced a Class II recall of almost 20,000 Baxter 15L Sterile Cycler Drainage Bags because of leakage.  Find full details at:

• http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/enforcement/enforce_rpt-Product-Tabs.cfm?action=select&recall_number=Z-0194-2016&w=11112015&lang=eng

Emergency Prep: Terror, Kids, Shelter-in-Place

The Kidney Community Emergency Response Coalition has announced three new Emergency Response resources, one on Terrorism, one on Emergency Preparedness for Kids, and one on Sheltering in Place during an Emergency, each in English and Spanish.  Find them at:

• Terrorism
  • English: http://www.kcercoalition.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Terrorism-Preparedness-2015-English.pdf
  • Spanish: http://www.kcercoalition.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Terrorism-Preparedness-2015-Spanish.pdf
• Emergency Preparedness Resources for Kids
  • English: http://kcercoalition.com/resources/kcer-kids/
  • Spanish: http://kcercoalition.com/resources/en-espanol/#los_ninos
• Shelter in Place during Emergencies
  • English: http://kcercoalition.com/resources/shelter-in-place/
  • Spanish: http://kcercoalition.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Shelter-In-Place-spanish.pdf

CROWNWeb Data Management Guidelines Slides

The slides from the November 19, 2015 CROWNWeb Town Hall on the new CROWNWeb Data Management Guidelines are now available at:

• https://www.mycrownweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Introducing-CW-Data-Mgmt-Guidelines-Town-Hall.pdf

Keep up with CROWNWeb News and Town Hall Events at, respectively:

• http://mycrownweb.org/news/
• http://mycrownweb.org/events/

They haven’t announced it yet, but on December 17, 2015 they plan to hold a CROWNWeb Town Hall and CMS Community WebEx on “The ESRD QIP and You.”  We’ll let you know when we get details.

1/19/2016 CMS Call on QIP PY2019; Call on PY2016

CMS will present a National Provider Call on the ESRD QIP PY2019 Final Rule on January 19, 2016.  For details see:

• https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/NPC/National-Provider-Calls-and-Events-Items/2016-01-19-ESRD.html?DLPage=1&DLEntries=10&DLSort=0&DLSortDir=descending

For information on the December 9, 2015 National Provider Call on QIP PY2016, see:

• https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/NPC/National-Provider-Calls-and-Events-Items/2015-12-09-ESRD.html?DLPage=1&DLEntries=10&DLSort=0&DLSortDir=descending

AAKP Anemia Questionnaire for Patients

A research study is evaluating a recently developed questionnaire about patient experiences with anemia related to ESRD.  The study, in partnership with AAKP, is being run by ICON, a research consultancy working for Amgen, a biotechnology company.  If you are 18 or older, on dialysis, have anemia related to ESRD, and interested in participating, complete these three steps:

• Call AAKP representatives Valerie Gonzalez at 813-400-2395 or Tangi Falber at 813-400-2392, who will ask you a few simple questions to see if you qualify
• Patients who qualify will be asked to have their nurse or physician record their most recent hemogloblin level on a doctor’s note provided to you
• Complete an online survey

Patients who complete the survey will receive $100.

Stipends to SCM16 for Social Workers

NKF Council of Nephrology Social Workers will accept applications from regular CNSW members for educational travel stipends of up to $500 to assist in attending the NKF 2016 Spring Clinical Meetings (SCM16).  Stipends will be awarded based on the merit and completion of the application form as specified.  Persons presenting original research or Abstracts may be given preference.  The amount of the award will be determined based on travel distance and a personal statement describing meeting objectives.  The completed application form must be submitted online by January 15, 2016, but note that the Abstract submission deadline is December 2, 2015.  For full details see:

• https://www.kidney.org/spring-clinical/educational-stipends/socialWorkers

For details on SCM16, which will be held April 27-May 1, 2016, see:

• https://www.kidney.org/spring-clinical