CMS will publish the Final Rule for the CY2021 ESRD PPS, Payment for … AKI, and ESRD QIP in the Federal Register on November 9, 2020. A pre-publication copy can be found at https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2020-24485/medicare-program-end-stage-renal-disease-prospective-payment-system-payment-for-renal-dialysis.
On November 17, 2020 at 11am PST, CMS will hold a Stakeholder Call to discuss the QIP. Call details will be announced next week.
KDIGO will present a 6 am PDT September 24, 2020 webinar on AKI & COVID-19 (mid-afternoon in central Europe). Find details below and register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pSG3rzf5S2m9ArdKVgM0zA.
AAKP and George Washington University will present their Second Annual Global Summit: Global Kidney Innovations – Expanding Patient Choices & Outcomes, online, on July 16-17, 2020. The full schedule (8-12 sessions per day plus evening webinars) will emphasize COVID-19 and Innovation, but many other topics as well. Find more information, including the detailed agenda, and register at https://aakp.org/programs-and-events/2nd-annual-global-summit-global-kidney-innovations-expanding-patient-choices-outcomes/.
CMS has presented for publication in the Federal Register a new proposed rule on changes to the ESRD PPS/QIP. Public Comment must be received by September 4, 2020. “In addition to the annual technical updates for the ESRD PPS, the proposed rule proposes the following:
The (slightly edited) quotations are from the ESRD PPS CY2021 Proposed Rule Fact Sheet (CMS-1732-P) at https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/end-stage-renal-disease-esrd-prospective-payment-system-pps-calendar-year-cy-2021-proposed-rule-cms. Find the Federal Register entry, which is scheduled to be published on July 13, 2020, at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/07/13/2020-14671/medicare-program-end-stage-renal-disease-prospective-payment-system-payment-for-renal-dialysis.
KDIGO has released a series of recorded webinars and other presentations from their collaboration with the International Society of Nephrology, including videos of:
They plan to add at least four more this year. Find them all on the KDIGO-ISN YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm7zHM_wBaPbQxRDJwyvqMg/videos.
ASN will present two new webinars on COVID-19:
Find more information and register at https://www.asn-online.org/covid-19/. A link to recordings of previous webinars in the ASN COVID-19 series can also be found there.
ASN has published a video on COVID-19: Considerations in the Home Dialysis Setting. Find it at https://www.asn-online.org/ntds/resources/Webcast_2020_04_09_COVID-19.mp4. The video is self-starting. Major topics include treatment strategies, organizational change, PPE, patient education, regulatory issues, telehealth, and cohort management. Find slides here and speaker bios here.
ASN will present an April 2, 2020 webinar on Hospital Care and Treatment Options for COVID-19 Positive Patients with ESKD and AKI that will address key areas of concern in the management of COVID-19 positive patients receiving RRT in the hospital setting, including treatment options, staffing, and safety. Register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4478274981960155148.
There’s no link yet, but ASN has also promised an April 9 webinar on Considerations in the Home Dialysis Setting.
Recordings of the two previous ASN COVID-19 webinars are available at:
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.
The FDA has announced Class II recalls of Baxter Prismaflex Control Units for AKI Recovery (https://www.baxter.com/healthcare-professionals/critical-care/prismaflex-system-critical-care) with software versions below 7.21 because of communication errors that may interrupt or delay therapy or result in blood loss. Product Codes and Lot Numbers recalled include:
