HDC Poster on Minimizing Cost of Dialysis

Home Dialysis Central has published a new blog post describing various insurance plans and how individuals in various situations can manage them to minimize the cost of dialysis, called Fact Sheet on Health Plans & Tips to Save Money on Dialysis Health Care.  Find the blog post at https://homedialysis.org/news-and-research/blog/334-fact-sheet-on-health-plans-tips-to-save-money-on-dialysis-health-care and a pdf poster of the table of plans/situations and tips, at https://homedialysis.org/documents/Health-Plan-Status-&-Tips-BW-10-25-2019.pdf.

11/21 DPC Webinar on Treatment Options

Dialysis Patient Citizens will present a November 21, 2019 webinar on Treatments and Modality Options for Kidney Disease.  For details see below, and register at https://www.dpcedcenter.org/news-events/education-webinars/signup/.

11/14 National Diabetes and Caregiver Months

November is National Diabetes Month and National Family Caregivers Month, and November 14, 2019 is World Diabetes Day.  The theme for both Diabetes Month and Diabetes Day this year is Family and Diabetes.  The theme for 2019 Family Caregivers Month is Caregiving Around the Clock.  To find out more, see:

• National Diabetes Month – https://www.diabetes.org/community/calendar-events/american-diabetes-month.
• National Family Caregivers Month – https://www.npaonline.org/november-national-family-caregivers-month.
• World Diabetes Day, November 14, 2019 – https://worlddiabetesday.org/about/2019-theme/.

1/1 HICNs No Longer Acceptable

Starting January 1, 2020, with few exceptions, all Medicare billing must use the new MBIs, Medicare Beneficiary Identifers, rather than the old Health Insurance Claim Numbers or HICNs.  Make sure your patients’ old Medicare cards have been shredded, to avoid exposing their Social Security Number to scammers.  Find instructions for billing, helping patients who haven’t gotten a new card, and other details of the transition, at https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/FFSProvPartProg/Provider-Partnership-Email-Archive-Items/-2019-10-24-eNews.html?DLPage=1&DLEntries=10&DLSort=0&DLSortDir=descending#_Toc22641919.

CDC Opioids Online Training

CDC has added a twelfth module to its free-CE series of online on-demand opioid training modules, Applying CDC’s Guideline for Prescribing Opioids: An Online Training Series for Healthcare Providers.  The new module is called A Nurse’s Call to Action for Safer Opioid Prescribing.  Fine the new module at https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/training/nurses-call-to-action/?s_cid=CDC-Rx-Guide-039&deliveryName=DM11240, and the other eleven modules at https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/training/online-training.html?s_cid=CDC-RX-Guide-018&deliveryName=DM11240.

10/31 CW Town Hall

CROWNWeb will present an October 31, 2019 Town Hall webinar and conference call on Best Practices to Aid Data Reporting and Managing Admits and Discharges.  Find more information and registration at http://mycrownweb.org/pcw_community_events/october-2019-town-hall/.

NW16 11/1+ CNSW-NW Fall Conference, Issaquah WA

November 1, 2019 is the registration deadline for the November 8 CNSW NW Chapter Fall 2019 Educational Conference in Issaquah WA.  Ignore the earlier deadline on the Conference brochure (https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/CNSW/CNSW_Fall.2019.pdf), and use the registration form at https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/CNSW/CNSW.REG.Fall.2019.pdf to RSVP.  Conference topics include ethics, mental health, end of life, patient support, patient engagement, and patient collaboration, with 6.5 CEUs offered.

10/23 CDC Webinar on Communication

CDC will present an October 23, 2019 webinar on Overcoming Message Resistance.  During public safety emergencies, community leaders and emergency responders share advice that they believe will help reduce harm and save lives.  People often receive and understand these messages but don’t take the “recommended” actions.  The industry jargon for this is “message resistance.”  While the webinar is about emergency communication, is message resistance really any different from the instruction given to patients every day by doctors and nurses, who refer to this tendency as non-adherence, nee noncompliance?  This webinar uses communication science, behavioral science, and the experience of emergency responders to share best practices for overcoming message resistance.  Find more information and register at https://emergency.cdc.gov/epic/learn/webinar_20191023.asp.

RSN Podcast on Dialysis Technicians

As part of last week’s National Dialysis Technician Recognition Week (see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2019/09/25/10-14-technician-technologist-appreciation-week/), the Renal Support Network’s KidneyTalk podcast series has published an audio recording called Dialysis Techs: The Front-Line Care, where an experienced Dialysis Technician talks about what their day is like.  Find the podcast at https://www.rsnhope.org/kidneytalk/dialysis-techs-front-line-care/.

HDC on Invisible Disabilities

Home Dialysis Central has published a blog post on the “invisible” disabilities that often afflict ESRD patients.  The Medical Education Institute has commissioned a self-adhering window sticker for your car that says “Invisible Disability,” with the idea that you can just point to the sticker rather than trying to explain yourself whenever you are questioned about parking.  Ordering instructions are included in the article.  We didn’t read the post in time to announce it before or during, but this past week was 2019 Invisible Disabilities Week.  Find out more from the Invisible Disabilities Association at https://invisibledisabilities.org/seminarsandevents/invisible-disabilities-week/attachment/2019-invisible-disabilities-week-is-here-oct-13th-19th/.