Quality Insights Renal Network 4 (QIRN 4) is committed to providing valuable resources like this e-newsletter that help improve the quality of renal care in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Please contact us with any questions, concerns or suggestions.

CMS Announcement

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) has announced the preview period for the Quarterly Dialysis Facility Compare (QDFC) - Preview for January 2015 reports will be extended until 5:00 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday, December 2, 2014. Please note that the helpdesk will be closed on November 27, 2014 and November 28, 2014 for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Please note the QDFC-Preview for January 2015 reports are located at the new website address: www.DialysisData.org. New Master Account Holder information has been distributed to facilities via USPS the second week of October. Please contact the network for MAH passwords should you need assistance in logging into the website. All other queries may be sent to DialysisData@umich.edu.

Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Events

Save the Date: QIRN 4 Quarterly Council Meeting

The next
Network 4 Council Meeting (Webinar)
will be on

December 16, 2014 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST

Agenda

2:00 p.m.: Welcome and Network Update - Tish Lawson, Executive Director of Network 4
2:05 p.m.: Open Forum
2:20 p.m.: NHSN Dialysis Event Surveillance - Presented by Ami Shah, NHSN Dialysis Team, Prevention and Response Branch
3:00 p.m.: Exit Polling Questions - Take a moment and tell us what you think. We will listen.

Attendance

Each facility is to have a network council representative on the call. It is recommended that the person responsible for NHSN Dialysis Event reporting ALSO be present for the NHSN portion of the presentation.

Webinar Instructions

Locate the "Network Council Meeting" webinar here.
Click on Join Now (located to the right of the event title)
Enter your name and email address as prompted
Enter the password: Qirn4 (case sensitive)
Dial in to the teleconference. The number is 866-951-1151. The conference room number is 539890865.

Please join 15 minutes prior to the presentation to ensure the automatic system set-up has been properly established.

If you have any questions or problems accessing the meeting, please call the General Dynamics Information Technology WebEx Helpline at (540) 347-7400 ext. 390.

Save the Date: Update on Kidney Disease

Update on Kidney Disease

April 21, 2015
8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Hershey Hotel

Hershey, PA

Save the Date: QIRN 4 Annual Meeting

QIRN 4 Annual Meeting

October 27, 2015

Seven Springs, PA

Inclement Weather Facility Survey

QIRN 4 is asking facilities to take this inclement weather facility status survey. For questions, please contact the Network at (610) 265-2418.

Patient Representative Honored at the 2014 Kidney Ball in Washington, DC

Long-time QIRN 4 Patient Representative John Cannady was honored with Patient Advocate Award at the 34th Annual Kidney Ball on November 15 in Washington, DC.

John was first diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 1988. He was fortunate to receive a kidney from a deceased donor a year later, and that transplant lasted for a decade. At that time he went back on in-center hemodialysis for a few years then transitioned to home hemodialysis with self-cannulation under the watchful eye of his wife Karen.

John has never let kidney disease slow him down. In 1993 he and Karen developed an entrepreneurial program for youth. He has served on numerous committees and boards and represented kidney patients in DC on behalf of the National Kidney Foundation and the American Association of Kidney Patients.

Join us at the Kidney Ball to thank John for advocating on behalf of kidney patients everywhere. View the video here.

CDC Training Modules for Ebola PPE Use

For some months now, infectious disease and other clinical experts throughout the United States have been preparing to safely care for patients with Ebola virus disease. An important aspect for physicians and nurses in providing care for these patients is proper training to securely put on and remove personal protective equipment (PPE). Mastering these two processes is critical to preventing the spread of the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently asked Johns Hopkins Medicine to lead a team of infectious disease experts to create a series of Web-based training modules to ensure that the CDC's guidelines for the proper use of PPE were presented as thoroughly and simply as possible.

Spearheaded by the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, the project brought together infection control experts, clinicians, human factors engineers, psychologists, instructional design experts and others to produce the online program, Ebola Preparedness: PPE Guidelines. In these modules, viewers can select training specific to the type of respirator and body covering that they will wear. Another module, which will soon be available, provides guidance for the trained observers who will actively monitor and coach health care workers in their use of the protective equipment.

The training is now available at no charge on the CDC's website and will also be available via iTunes U. You can also learn more about the development of the training in a short video and in Armstrong Institute Director Peter Pronovost's recent blog post.

HAI LAN Webinar

The ESRD Network Coordinating Center (NCC) is offering a second National Healthcare Associated Infections Learning and Action Network (HAI LAN) event, "Universal Precautions, Your First Line of Defense." The webinar will be held on December 11, 2014 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. and is available free of charge. Nurses and technicians can earn 1.0 CEs.

This event will review and enhance the ESRD community's understanding about disease transmission and the protective measures that need to be in place to prevent the spread of disease in the health care setting. It will also tie in national data on compliance with the Conditions for Coverage related to the use of universal precautions in our community, outlining our areas for greatest improvement.

The program has been developed in cooperation with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the ESRD Networks. It features nationally-recognized subject matter experts in the field of infection control who are dedicated to eliminating healthcare acquired infections.

Nurses and technicians can receive 1.0 CEs through the Northwest Renal Network (Network 16), provider # CEP 16217, which is certified through the California Board of Registered Nurses. The NCC appreciates Network 16's collaboration, which allows these CEs to be offered.

Registration for this event is online. Select "National HAI LAN Event: Universal Precaution, Your First Line of Defense."

For more information, please contact the ESRD NCC at 516-209-5253 or email Vicky Cash, Assistant Director, Quality Management at vcash@ncc.esrd.net.

National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Updates

Dialysis Event Surveillance Webinar

On December 16, 2014 the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) will be presenting a webinar on Dialysis Event Surveillance. This meeting will begin at 2:20 p.m. All interested parties are welcome to attend.

Bloodstream Infection Rates

Do you need to know your bloodstream infection rates for your Quality Meetings? Here is a quick reference for creating and reading bloodstream infection reports for your facility from the NHSN.

Submit Your Emergency Preparedness Articles

Our focus at QIRN 4 is to "Be Disaster Aware, Take Action to Prepare." If you have any disaster preparedness articles or links, please e-mail your information to dknight@nw4.esrd.net so it may be posted in our bi-weekly newsletter.

ESRD NCC Information Exchange

The ESRD Network Coordinating Center (NCC) provides centralized coordination and support for the Medicare ESRD Network program. Each month, the ESRD NCC distributes an e-newsletter, known as the Information Exchange, that compiles the most important information from numerous ListServs and publications related to renal health.

To sign up to receive this informative newsletter, please contact the ESRD NCC at ncc@ncc.esrd.net or visit the ESRD NCC Web site. You can also check the QIRN 4 website for updates that include material from the Information Exchange.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
This bi-weekly e-newsletter will serve as our primary method of communicating important news and updates. We encourage you to visit our Web site for the most up-to-date information or to contact us with questions, comments or suggestions.

Quality Insights Renal Network 4

630 Freedom Business Center, Suite 116
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610-265-2418

800-548-9205 (patients only)

610-783-0374 (fax)

www.qirn4.org

This material was prepared by Quality Insights Renal Network 4 under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The contents do not necessarily reflect CMS policy.

Publication No. ESRD4-112014