The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Health Advisory on Immediate Need for Healthcare Facilities to Review Procedures for Cleaning, Disinfecting, and Sterilizing Reusable Medical Devices.  All healthcare facilities that utilize reusable medical devices are urged to (1) immediately review current reprocessing practices at their facility to ensure they are complying with all steps as directed by the device manufacturers, and (2) have a qualified professional audit policies and procedures that are consistent with current standards and guidelines.  Read the full Health Advisory, which includes an extensive list of more detailed recommendations.

National Preparedness Month: America's PrepareAthon!  

September is National Preparedness Month. This year, we are asking you to take action by making a plan with your community, your family, and for your pets. Plan how to stay safe and communicate during the disasters that can affect your community. We ask everyone to participate in America's PrepareAthon! and the national day of action, National PrepareAthon! Day, which culminates National Preparedness Month on September 30. To participate, form a team for your facility and join the America's PrepareAthon! event.  

 

2015 Remaining Weekly Hazard Themes for National Preparedness Month

 

Week 4: September 20 - 26 (Power Outage - English/Spanish)  

Week 5: September 27 - 30 (Lead up to National PrepareAthon! Day on September 30) 

 

Kidney Disaster Awareness Week Resources

Monday, Sept. 21 - KCER Emergency Information Handout (English/Spanish)

Tuesday, Sept. 22 - KCER Vital Information Wallet Card  

Wednesday, Sept. 23 - Flu Preparedness (English/Spanish)

Thursday, Sept. 24 - Resources for Kids (English/Spanish)

Friday, Sept. 25 - Three Day Emergency Diet (English/Spanish) 

 

Additional Resources  

America's PrepareAthon! - Alerts and Warnings 

America's PrepareAthon! - Safeguarding Valuables 

Wildfire Resources (English) 

Wildfire Resources (Spanish)  

Emergency Information Form (English)

Emergency Information Form (Spanish) 

QIRN4 has developed this resource to help patients and facility staff better understand the ESRD Quality Incentive Program (QIP) and what it means for them. Please print and distribute this resource to your patients and staff. 

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Peers program now also offers peer support to those considering living kidney donation and those who have already donated a kidney, in addition to their traditional support helping people adjust to living with chronic kidney disease, kidney failure, or a kidney transplant, and people considering home dialysis. The program is free, national in scope, and telephone-based (toll-free). To seek support or volunteer to help others, learn more.

The ESRD National Coordinating Center (NCC) is offering a Fistula First Catheter Last (FFCL) Learning and Action Network (LAN) Webinar Event, "Achieving Catheter Freedom: A Team Approach."  The webinar will be held on October 22, 2015 from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. ET and is available free of charge. Nurses and technicians can receive 1.0 CE.
 
More than 90% of ESRD patients use hemodialysis for renal replacement therapy and have one or more vascular accesses in place. Decreasing the use of hemodialysis catheters and maximizing the health and maintenance of existing arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) or arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) continues to be a challenge for the dialysis community.
 
Experts from the FFCL Workgroup Coalition will present on the team approach to catheter safety, access planning and coordination, and vascular access monitoring. Information will be provided on the tools and educational resources available to patients and dialysis care teams (DCTs) to help manage and protect a patient's Lifeline for a Lifetime.
 
Registration for this event can be found online. The webinar is available free of charge.
 
Read the entire announcement. 

Get your creative juices flowing. QIRN4 is asking your facility to develop a short music video using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hand Hygiene protocol. The facility with the winning video will receive a tailgate party and the video will be shown during QIRN4's Annual Meeting on October 27th at Sevens Springs Mountain Resort in Champion, PA.  The winning video may also be shared with the entire Network as a fun educational video for staff and patients. The winner will be selected and notified prior to the Annual Meeting.

Contest Rules

• Make it fun. Videos can be funny, have a catchy original tune, be a parody of an existing song, include lip-syncing to a song, etc. Videos can include one individual or a group from your facility.
• Keep it professional. All language, music, clothing and dance (if any) must be in accordance with professional behavior.  Due to privacy issues, no patients are allowed to participate or appear in the video. This includes the video background as well. Adhere to CDC protocol.
• Keep it short. The length of the video must not exceed 4 minutes.
• Keep it simple. No special equipment is necessary. Shoot this video on your phone, tablet, digital camera or any device that will allow you to upload it to a computer.
• Submit the video to the Network no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 27th.

Check out the following Hand Hygiene reference documents to help keep you on track.                           

• The WHO's "How to Wash Your Hands" Poster
• The WHO's "How to Rub your Hands" Poster
• Hand Hygiene Basics
• CDC Dialysis Collaborative Audit Tool: Hand Hygiene Observations and Opportunities

If you have any questions, please contact us.

The emBRACE program is a five step Certification Program for dialysis providers to improve patient engagement. Facilities that enroll and complete this program will be recognized by QIRN4 for their exemplary work and best practices. This Network certification will acknowledge the dedication to excel in providing outstanding patient engagement at the facility level. Facilities must complete all steps by October 5, 2015 to receive certification at the QIRN4 annual meeting.

Ready to enroll?

• Download and follow the emBRACE program.
• On-demand Webinar 1.
• On-demand Webinar 2.

For more information, contact QIRN4's Patient Services Director, Paul Gordon at 610-265-2418 ext. 2830. 

The ESRD National Coordinating Center (NCC) is offering a sixth National Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) Learning and Action Network (LAN) webinar event, "Eliminating Blood Stream Infections (BSI) in Dialysis, Part Two: Creating a Culture of Safety."  The webinar will be held on September 29, 2015 at 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. ET and is available free of charge. Nurses and technicians can receive 1.0 CE.
 
This event will discuss the effect of BSI on the dialysis population, review the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended practices to eliminate BSI, and discuss how the creation of a "Culture of Safety" is proven to effectively eliminate healthcare associated infections in the healthcare setting.
 
The presentation has been developed in cooperation with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), CDC, and the ESRD Networks. It will feature nationally recognized subject matter experts in the field of infection control, who are dedicated to eliminating healthcare acquired infections.
 
Registration for this event can be found online.  The webinar is available free of charge.
 
Read the entire announcement.

The  upcoming quarter 2 National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) reporting deadline is Wednesday, September 30, 2015.  The latest Newsblast from the NHSN contains detailed information on how to successfully report Q2 NHSN data.

QIRN4 has developed the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) flyers to help patients learn more about kidney donation and preparing for a kidney transplant. We encourage you to print these flyers and post them in your facilities.

• Kidney Donation: FAQs (Flyer)
• Preparing for a Kidney Transplant: FAQs (Flyer)