NW16 Exemplary Facilities

The October issue of Network 16 News features Congratulations for the 2017 Exemplary Practice Awards, presented at the NW16 Annual Quality Conference in Seattle October 22, 2017.  Awards were given for Patient Engagement, Quality Innovation in reducing long-term catheters and hospital acquired infections, and Data Accuracy and Timeliness.  The Awards went to Northwest Kidney Centers, North Spokane Renal Center, McMinnville Dialysis, St. Peters Hospital, and the Fort Peck Tribal Dialysis Unit.

This issue also includes a “Question Corner” on the NW16 2018 Quality Improvement Activities, and a “Hot Dates” list that includes:

• CNSW NW Chapter Fall Educational Conference November 3, 2017 in Issaquah WA
• CNSW OR SW-WA Chapter Workshop November 8, 2017 in Portland OR
• NWRN Annual Conference March 8-9, 2018 in Spokane WA
• NKF Spring Clinical Meetings April 11-14, 2018 in Austin TX

Find more information about these Hot Dates on our Facility Calendar at https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/staff-education-calendar/ .  A copy of this issue of Network 16 News resides at https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/Nw16N/Exemplary1017.pdf , and a full catalog of back issues at https://nwrn.org/providers-and-professional-staff/nw16n.html .

4/10+ NKF Spring Clinicals

The 2018 National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings (SCM) will be held in Austin TX April 10-14, 2018.  The SCM website features a comprehensive preliminary program, a call for abstracts, a signup for news, and a link to the NKF Professional Education Resource Center (PERC) that will have many free-to-members courses based on the 2017 SCM.  SCM includes separate pre-conference workshops and conference tracks for physicians, pharmacists, advanced practitioners, nurses, technicians, dietitians, social workers, and transplant professionals.  Registration is now open, and discounted advance registration closes January 26, 2018.  Find everything you need to know about SCM at https://www.kidney.org/spring-clinical .

<12/7 MC Open Enrollment

Medicare Open Enrollment, the period during which you’re allowed to change your Medicare coverage, is open until December 7, 2017.  Northwest Renal Network’s October 2017 Patient Bulletin briefly describes the process, and includes links to the Plan Finder, to help paying for drugs, and the Medicare Open Enrollment Toolkit.  If your facility has not given you a copy already, find the Patient Bulletin at https://nwrn.org/patients-a-family/ptedres/mon.html .

11/14 NW18 JBF San Diego Benefit

The John Brockington Foundation will present their 16th Annual Pro Athletes for Life Gala November 14, 2017 in San Diego.  The event celebrates organ and tissue donation and the San Diego kidney and transplant communities, with proceeds to the Foundation’s patient education and patient assistance funds.  For more information on the event and the Foundation, see http://www.johnbrockingtonfoundation.org/ .

11/15 KCER Newsletter October

KCER has published their October 2017 Newsletter, with articles on the following:

• Emergency Preparedness Requirements Go into Effect November 15, 2017
• Flu Season is Here: Time for a Shot
• How to Prepare for a Wildfire
• Emotional Support After a Disaster
• Protecting Your Dialysis Vascular Access
• Handwashing After a Disaster

Find the Newsletter at http://kcercoalition.com/contentassets/1fc6b84d9aeb48818c8a1fc8ea2830c9/102017kcerwatchoct2017fnl508.pdf .

DFC MAH Reset Postponed

UM-KECC has announced that the annual Dialysis Data Master Account Holder password reset, which typically takes place in October of each year, will occur in early December, after the completion of the November DFC preview period.  Further information about the reset process will be distributed in the coming weeks.   For questions contact the UM-KECC DialysisData helpdesk at dialysisdata@umich.edu.

11/8 NW16 Donate Life Breakfast

Donate Life Northwest will sponsor their annual Lifesavers Breakfast November 8, 2017 in Portland OR.  The event is the largest gathering of the area’s donation and transplant community.  Donate Life Northwest welcomes additional Sponsors and volunteers.  For more information and to RSVP, see http://www.donatelifenw.org/content/lifesavers-breakfast .

CDC HAN re Hurricane Travelers

CDC has issued a bulletin to its Health Alert Network (HAN) recommending that healthcare providers be watchful for unusual infectious diseases in patients and others who visit Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and other Caribbean hurricane-ravaged areas between September 2017 and March 2018, including leptospirosis, dengue, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, vibriosis, Zika, chikungunya, and influenza.  Also, visitors to flooded or contaminated areas of the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts could possibly return with necrotizing fasciitis, invasive fungi, Mycobacterium, Legionella, Pseudomonas, or other water-associated Gram-negative bacteria.  The HAN, at https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/han00408.asp,  provides specific recommendations and reporting requirements dealing with these possibilities.

11/13 CMS ED Measure Comment Request

As part of a contract with the University of Michigan to develop a quality measure on Hospital Emergency Department Visits, CMS has issued a call for public comments, which are due by 13 November, 2017.  For more information and comment instructions, see https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/MMS/PC-Currently-Accepting-Comments.html#0001 .

11/9 AAKP Healthline on Holiday Eating

AAKP Healthline will host a free November 9, 2017 webinar on Holiday Eating Dos and Don’ts for All Stages of Kidney Disease.  For more information and to register, see https://aakp.org/aakp-healthline/ .  You’ll also find a link to recordings of all past AAKP Healthline webinars there.