10/22 NW16 Quality Conference

The Network 16 Annual Quality Conference will be held October 22, 2017 in Tukwila WA, near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.  The Conference will feature sessions on mental illness, fluid control, new CMS rules, AKI and residual function, and palliative care.  The registration fee includes continental breakfast, lunch, parking, airport shuttle, and five CE credits for nurses, social workers, technicians, and dietitians.  Find full details at https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/N/NW16QC.Agenda.pdf .

10/10 HIPAA Webinar

HealthInsight will present a HIPAA Privacy and Security Virtual Boot Camp webinar on October 10, 2017.  For information and registration see http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=eriguwcab&oeidk=a07eeih7gwaadec87c8 .  For more information on HealthInsight’s HIPAA resources, see https://healthinsight.org/hipaapass .

CW October Newsletter

The October 2017 CROWNWeb Newsletter announces an October 26, 2017 Town Hall and includes links to useful CROWNWeb resources.  The rest of the issue is dedicated to issues relevant to the hurricane disaster zones.  Find all CROWNWeb Newsletters at http://mycrownweb.org/news/newsletters/ .

New Medicare Cards Summary

CMS has published an MLN Matters on “Transition to New Medicare Numbers and Cards” that summarizes the NMC program, progress, and expectations.  Find it at https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/MLN-Publications-Items/ICN909365.html .

Vaccination MLN Matters

CMS has published an MLN Matters on “2017-2018 Influenza (Flu) Resources for Health Care Professionals.”  Find it at https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE17026.pdf .

9/30 NHSN QIP Deadline

In order to be considered in your QIP Performance Score, infection surveillance data for April through June 2017 must be entered, and corrections made, in NHSN by September 30, 2017.  Entries into NHSN made after that date will not be sent to CMS.  While you can find everything you need to know about NHSN for dialysis at https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/dialysis/event/index.html , CDC recommends these shortcuts:

• Review the Protocol to make sure you’re on the right page: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/PDFs/pscManual/8pscDialysisEventcurrent.pdf
• Review your data: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/pdfs/dialysis/3-steps-to-review-de-data-2014.pdf
• Verify that you’ve met the QIP requirements: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/PDFs/dialysis/CMS-QIP-NHSN-report.pdf
• Review your facility’s BSI rates: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/PDFs/dialysis/BSI-cheatsheet.pdf

9/28 CMS Disaster Town Hall

CMS and CROWNWeb have announced the topic for their September 28, 2017 Town Hall conference call, “Reinforcing Processes in the Wake of Natural Disasters,” featuring discussions on how CROWNWeb can track patients and provide essential information during disasters.  Register at http://mycrownweb.org/pcw_community_events/crownweb-town-hall-reinforcing-processes-wake-natural-disasters/ .