In addition to the previously scheduled patient education webinars about Blood Pressure on January 16, 2020, about Living Kidney Donation on February 13, and the Kidney Fair at the Beach on May 17 (see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2019/11/01/12-3-ucla-core-kidney-program-and-ukeep/), the UCLA Core Kidney Program has added a March 1, 2020 workshop on ESRD: What You Should Know. Stay tuned to this blog or to https://www.uclahealth.org/core-kidney/upcoming-events for details.
It’s still relatively balmy in Southern California, but winter is getting serious in Network 16. CMS requires ESRD Networks to track the status of facility operations and patient access to treatment during emergency events at all facilities. If the operations of your facility, or ability for patients to have access to dialysis, are impacted by emergency events, please let your Network know right away.
You are reminded never to put PHI or PII in an email or online form. Examples include patient name or initials, birthdate, SSN, and other identifying information.
CDC has issued a HAN Health Advisory on Elevated Influenza Activity: Influenza B/Victoria and A(H1N1)pdm09 Viruses are the Predominant Viruses, summarized by:
“This health advisory notifies clinicians that influenza activity remains high in the United States. Ongoing elevated activity is due to influenza B/Victoria viruses, increasing circulation of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses, and low levels of influenza B/Yamagata and influenza A(H3N2) viruses. CDC’s influenza forecasts suggest that national influenza activity will remain elevated for several more weeks. Because influenza activity is elevated and both influenza A and B virus infections can cause severe disease and death, this health advisory also serves as a reminder that early treatment with antiviral medications improves outcomes in patients with influenza. Early treatment with antiviral medications is recommended for hospitalized patients and high-risk outpatients… Clinicians should continue efforts to vaccinate patients for as long as influenza viruses are circulating, and promptly start antiviral treatment of severely ill and high-risk patients with suspected influenza without waiting for laboratory confirmation.”
Find the full HAN at https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/han00425.asp?deliveryName=USCDC_511-DM17072.
My Employent Options will present a free January 30, 2020 webinar on Resume Dos and Don’ts. Find details and registration at https://www.myemploymentoptions.com/webinar-registration-page/.
The Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation’s Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation is convening a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) on Development of a Quality Measure Assessing Delay in Progression of CKD for CMS. Nominate yourself or others before January 13, 2020. Find details at https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/MMS/TEP-Currently-Accepting-Nominations#a1213, and download nomination forms from https://www.cms.gov/files/zip/development-quality-measure-assessing-delay-progression-chronic-kidney-disease-ckd.
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.
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.
