Category Archives: Acute Kidney Injury

10/1+ NW16 Quality Conference

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We’ve published the agenda and brochure for the October 22, 2017 Network 16 Annual Quality Conference 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.  Register by October 1, 2017 to avoid a late fee.  Find full details at https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/N/NW16QC.Agenda.pdf .

NHSN Newsletter

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The NHSN June Newsletter can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/newsletters/index.html .  The Newsletter includes articles on AKI, Release 8.7 updates, Prevention Process Measures analysis, Release 8.8 beta testing volunteer opportunities, and training updates.  Find material specific to dialysis on pages 16-17, and information relevant to all NHSN users on pages 2 and 18ff.

KDIGO Guideline on Living Kidney Donation

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KDIGO has announced the publication of their Guideline for Living Kidney Donors.  Find the announcement at http://kdigo.org/kdigo-announces-publication-of-the-living-kidney-donor-guideline/ and the Guideline itself at http://kdigo.org/guidelines/ along with KDIGO Guidelines on AKI, Anemia, BP, Transplant Recipients, CKD, MBD, GN, HVC, and Lipids.

10/22 NW16 Quality Conference

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We’ve added the July issue of Network 16 News to our website.  This edition summarizes the recent Network 18 Quality Conference that featured sessions on palliative care and violence prevention, and announces that registration is open for the October 22, 2017 Network 16 Quality Conference in Tukwila WA (Southcenter), at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ee1vuqhebf5c5af8&llr=hakkwkrab .  The Network 16 Conference will feature sessions on mental health, fluid control, survey readiness, AKI, residual function, and palliative care.

The Network 16 News issue also links to the August 20, 2017 NKF Annual Community Picnic & Wellness Fair in Portland, the September 24, 2017 Strut Your Kidney run/walk in Portland, and the September 23-25, 2017 ANNA Nephrology Nursing Practices, Management & Leadership Conference in Miami FL.  Find more information about these events by clicking on “Facility Calendar” at the top of this page.

You can find current and past Network 16 News issues at https://www.nwrn.org/providers-and-professional-staff/nw16n.html .

8/28 QIP PY2019-21 Revisions

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CMS has proposed a new rule that modifies the QIP for PY2019-21.  Comments on the rule will be accepted until August 28, 2017.  The proposed rule includes updates to reimbursement rates, the ESRD QIP Extraordinary Circumstances Exception Policy (ECE), PSC, NHSN dialysis event data validation sampling methodology, and quality measures.  The rule also requests comments on how to include individuals with AKI in the ESRD QIP, and on the feasibility and appropriateness of accounting for social risk factors in the program.  Find an advance copy of the proposed rule at https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2017-13908.pdf .  The proposed rule is scheduled for the July 5, 2017 Federal Register.  A copy of the CMS press release on the proposed rule can be found at https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2017-Press-releases-items/2017-06-29.html .

A CMS Fact Sheet summarizes the various changes and proposals in the rule, and also introduces a planned CMS RFI that will welcome continued feedback on the Medicare program with the aim of increasing efficiency, transparency, flexibility, program simplicity, and innovation.  Find the Fact Sheet at https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Fact-sheets/2017-Fact-Sheet-items/2017-06-29.html .

https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2017-13908.pdf

7/31 NHSN Deadline Extended, AKI, v.8.7

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The most important news on NHSN is that according to an email “Clarification” sent June 26, 2017, the deadline for entering and correcting data for Q1 2017 has been extended until July 31, 2017, for reasons explained and documented below.  The June NHSN Newsletter  documents the deadline as June 30, 2017; however, CDC says to trust the “Clarification” date rather than the Newsletter date.

CDC has released the June NHSN Newsletter, at https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/newsletters/index.html .  News on the Dialysis Component is on pages 16-17, and includes articles on:

  1. How to handle AKI patients in NHSN:
  2. The June 17, 2017 release of NHSN v.8.7 was announced on June 20, with a note that any analysis or reporting must be preceded by generation of new datasets:
    • This announcement included Release Notes, which can be found at https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/NHSN/0617/NHSN8.7.pdf .  However, for the Dialysis Component they said only “Analysis and Reporting: An update for 2015 aggregate data has been completed so that users can have access to the most recent data available when comparing a facility or group’s rate to the national pooled mean rate.  This update includes new aggregate rates, p-values, and percentiles for 6 rate tables and 6 run charts (all of those in Analysis Reports > Dialysis Events > Rates > CDC-Defined Output).”
    • On the other hand, the June Newsletter included a long article on “Release 8.7 Updates.”  Find this article on page 16 at https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/newsletters/index.html .
  3. “Prevention Process Measures Analysis” describes how to differently ask for Injection Safety reports on older and later data (page 17).
  4. The June 30, 2017 QIP deadline, which has been extended to July 31, 2017 (see lead paragraph above).  This article includes instructions for reviewing your data for accuracy and completeness (p.17).

AKI Patients

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The January 2017 issue of the Northwest Renal Network’s Network 16 News has hit the streets.  The headline article covers details about the new CMS reimbursement of outpatient dialysis facilities for treating Acute Kidney Injury or AKI.  The article also announces a February 22, 2017 NRAA webinar on AKI rules, facts, and expert interpretation of the gray areas.  Keep an eye on http://www.nraa.org/index.php/meetings/webinarstop/nraa-webinar-wednesday-series for details about the webinar and registration information.

The issue also contains an invitation for a patient or care partner to volunteer as a Subject Matter Expert on the Network’s Patient Advisory Council, and links to the following:

Find a copy of this Network 16 News issue at https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/Nw16N/N16N.0117.pdf or any Network 16 News issue in the archives at https://nwrn.org/providers-and-professional-staff/nw16n.html .