2/21 CMS Proposed Rule on OPO Measures Comment Period

In December CMS proposed revisions to Organ Procurement Organization Performance Measures for Kidney Donation Rate and Transplant Rate, and to OPO monitoring and benchmarking.  The revised measures aim to increase the number of Kidney Transplants by about 5,000 per year.  The revisions are described in the Fact Sheet at https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/organ-procurement-organization-opo-conditions-coverage-proposed-rule-revisions-outcome-measures-opos.  Public Comment is due by February 21, 2020.  The Proposed Rule is published in the Federal Register at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/12/23/2019-27418/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-organ-procurement-organizations-conditions-for-coverage-revisions-to.

1/13 Q3 NHSN QIP Deadline Extended

Because NHSN was down for twelve days in December, CMS and CDC have extended the deadline for facilities to enter or edit their July-September 2019 NHSN data from December 31, 2019 to January 13, 2020.  For questions or concerns, contact the NHSN helpdesk at NHSN@cdc.gov or the CMS ESRD QIP team at esrdqip@cms.hhs.gov.

1/9 CW Medication Reconciliation Training

CROWNWeb has announced that their Medication Reconciliation Training will occur on January 9, 2020.  Find more information and register at https://mycrownweb.org/pcw_lems/medication-reconciliation-training-3/.

12/31 NHSN Possible Lost Data

NHSN resolved a system problem this morning, but if you have edited your denominator data between December 7th and December 18th, those changes may have been lost.  Review your data prior to the December 31, 2019 CMS ESRD QIP quarter 3 reporting deadline to ensure accuracy and completeness by using the 3 step guide at  http://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/pdfs/dialysis/3-steps-to-review-de-data-2014.pdf.  If you have any questions, email them to NHSN@cdc.gov with “dialysis” in the subject line.

NHSN will be down for emergency maintenance today for several hours beginning at 10am PST.  Do not submit CDAs via DIRECT until NHSN is back up.

NW16 3/1 NKF Community Symposium, Portland

NKF will present their Annual Kidney Community Symposium in Portland on March 1, 2020, featuring sessions on The Future of Kidney Care, Home Dialysis, Living Donation, and the presentation of the Elizabeth Kemble Friends of the Kidney Community Award.  For details and registration, see https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/N/PKG/PKG2020PtSymp.pdf.

12/19 Webinar on Innovative Payment Models

CMS will present a December 19, 2019 Cross-Model Office Hours Session on their new Innovative Payment Models – the Primary Care First Model Options, the Direct Contracting Model Options, and the Kidney Care Choices Model.  Each Model team will discuss aims, timelines, eligibility, and more.  The Session will include a live Q&A portion.  Find more details and register at https://cmslearningevents.cosocloud.com/cmscmoh/event/registration.html.

Find additional information about each model at:

• Primary Care First: https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/primary-care-first-model-options/.
• Direct Contracting: https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/direct-contracting-model-options/.
• Kidney Care Choices: https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/kidney-care-choices-kcc-model/.

12/18 NHSN Maintenance, Vs 9.4, Newsletter

The NHSN Dialysis Component will be down for “several hours” on December 18, 2019, starting at 6am PST, for scheduled maintenance.

NHSN Version 9.4 was released on December 7, 2019.  It includes many additions and changes, including analysis updates.  Review pages 1 (all Components) and 4-5 (Dialysis Component) of the Version 9.4 Release Notes at https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/NHSN/NHSN9.4ReleaseNotes.pdf for important details.  The new analysis output options require regeneration of datasets.  Email all questions to the NHSN Helpdesk at NHSN@cdc.gov.

The December 2019 NHSN Newsletter has been published.  It includes no dialysis-specific articles, but there are relevant general articles on pages 14ff covering NHSN Training in 2020 and CDA changes for Version 9.4.  Find it at https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/pdfs/newsletters/nhsn-nl-dec19-508.pdf.

Slides from the December 4-5 NHSN Dialysis Surveillance Call can be found at https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/NHSN/NHSNDialysisEventUpdates2020.pdf.  They include sections on AKI, Data Quality Checks, Annual Training, Missing SIRs, Data Review, QIP Updates, and Version 9.4.

1/14 CMS CY2020 QIP Final Rule Call

CMS will present a January 14, 2019 Conference Call on the ESRD QIP CY 2020 ESRD PPS Final Rule.  Find more information and register at https://blh.ier.intercall.com/details/004463a469da435eb691f9bd007f39c9.  Find a copy of the Final Rule at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/11/08/2019-24063/medicare-program-end-stage-renal-disease-prospective-payment-system-payment-for-renal-dialysis.

1/14 Chemical Incident Emergency Prep Webinar

The HHS “ASPR TRACIE” Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Information Gateway will present a January 14, 2019 webinar on Healthcare Challenges in Chemical Incidents.  For information and registration see https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3764060812984891147.

RSN Podcast on “Keep on Believing”

The Renal Support Network has published a podcast called Keep on Believing, featuring an interview with America’s Got Talent superstar and kidney transplant recipient (at age 4) Angelica Hale.  Angelica advises, “Never give up and keep on dreaming.  Keep on believing in yourself.  No matter what you are going through, you can still achieve your dreams and reach your goals.”  Find the podcast at https://www.rsnhope.org/kidneytalk/keep-on-believing/.