12/2+ AAKP HealthLine on Flu, Open Enrollment

AAKP will present a December 9, 2021 HealhLine webinar on What Kidney Patients Need to Know This Flu Season. Individuals with kidney disease are at a higher risk to have more severe complications if they contract the flu, whether COVID-19 or otherwise.  Find out what you can do to prepare and which non-COVID flu vaccine is right for you.  The webinar will also discuss the safety of getting a non-COVID flu vaccine along with the COVID-19 vaccine.  For details and registration see https://aakp.org/programs-and-events/aakp-healthline/.

The same web page also describes a December 2, 2021 HealthLine webinar on Open Enrollment: Understanding Medicare vs Medicare Advantage – Determining a Program that’s Right for You. This year’s Open Enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage Plans and Medicare Part D Drug Coverage expires on December 7, 2021. Not to be confused with non-Medicare “Obamacare” Health Insurance, Open Enrollment for which expires January 15, 2022. For details on these insurance programs, see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2021/10/24/2021-2-open-enrollment-for-health-insurance/.

NCC Transplant Peer Connection Call

NCC will present a 30 November 2021 Kidney Transplant Peer Connection conference call. Meeting participants will have the opportunity to speak to, ask questions, and learn from other kidney transplant recipients about their experiences. For details, see below. Please share this invitation with any kidney disease patients you know.

11/18+ PY2022 QIP Preview Period Today

CMS is reminding everyone that the PY2022 QIP Preview Period starts today (November 18) and ends December 20, 2021. For details see https://mycrownweb.org/2021/11/esrd-qip-py-2022-preview-period-starts-in-one-week/. Salient points include:

• All facility and corporate staff must verify that their defined EQRS Role remains Active.
• Facility PSRs should be reviewed, and comments submitted early in the Preview Period, so that there is time for review and adjustment before December 20.
• Because of COVID, no facility will receive a PY 2022 payment reduction; see https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/11/08/2021-23907/medicare-program-end-stage-renal-disease-prospective-payment-system-payment-for-renal-dialysis for details.
• CMS is presenting a Town Hall on this subject at 11am PST this morning (18 November); see https://mycrownweb.org/2021/10/november-2021-town-hall-preview-period/ for details.

11/4+ Medicare Facility Staff Vaccine Requirements

CMS has issued a new CfC/CoP Interim Final Rule detailing staff vaccination requirements at all Medicare-supported healthcare facilities. In a nutshell, the Rule requires that:

“Facilities covered by this regulation must establish a policy ensuring all eligible staff have received the first dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine or a one-dose COVID-19 vaccine prior to providing any care, treatment, or other services by December 5, 2021. All eligible staff must have received the necessary shots to be fully vaccinated – either two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson – by January 4, 2022. The regulation also provides for exemptions based on recognized medical conditions or religious beliefs, observances, or practices. Facilities must develop a similar process or plan for permitting exemptions in alignment with federal law.”

https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-issues-emergency-regulation-requiring-covid-19-vaccination-health-care

CMS recently held a Stakeholder Call about the Rule. The slides from that call, which contain more detail, can be found at https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-19-health-care-staff-vaccination-ifc-6-national-stakeholder-call-slides.pdf, and a video recording of the call at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHA0zY1aC-Y. The Call will be repeated on November 10, 2021; register at https://cms.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_bCsmBuXfTnOCK0owoQVHvg.

A Q&A Fact Sheet can be found at https://www.cms.gov/files/document/cms-omnibus-staff-vax-requirements-2021.pdf, and the full Federal Register announcement at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/11/05/2021-23831/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-omnibus-covid-19-health-care-staff-vaccination. Comments on the Rule must be received by January 4, 2022; comment at https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/CMS-2021-0168-0001.

11/10+ November Events

• November 10, 2021:
  • Donate Life 301 School Educator Training; information and registration at https://www.donatelifenw.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=9546&id=9546.
  • AAKP HealthLine webinar on Planning a Safe Holiday Season; https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ML9QNHZ.
• November 11, 2021: AAKP HealthLine webinar on Xenotransplantation; https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AAKPHealthLineXenotransplantation.
• November 12, 2021: KDIGO on Slowing Decline in Kidney Function; https://www.clinicalserieslive.com/app/signup/111221_CSL_CME_Glom_Reg/formPage/.
• November 12-14, 2021: Donate Life National Donor Sabbath; https://www.donatelifenw.org/forms/national-donor-sabbath-materials.
• November 13, 2021: Donate Life Lifesavers Breakfast; https://www.donatelifenw.org/content/lifesavers-campaign.
• November 16, 2021: EQRS New User Training; https://mycrownweb.org/pcw_lems/november-2021-new-user-training/.
• November 18, 2021:
  • EQRS Town Hall on PY2022 QIP Preview Period and Reporting Requirements; https://mycrownweb.org/pcw_community_events/november-2021-town-hall/.
  • AAKP HealthLine webinar on genetic testing; https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6141365496566087952.