F= rom: &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; <= /b>H= eather Binkley

S= ent:        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           T= hursday, January 28, 2010 9:25 AM

T= o:        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; h= binkley@nw13.esrd.net

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ESRD Network 13

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Elect= ronic

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News You Can Use

Your Network 13 e-source for renal news.

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Volume 9, Jan= uary 2010

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PLEASE TAKE A MOMEN= T TO EVALUATE OUR NEWSLETTER.

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= ESRD Network 13 needs your feedback in order to continue supplying the important information in this newsletter every quarter. We would appreciate y= our participation in a short online evaluation. Thank you in advance!

Evaluate e-NYCU here.

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ESRD Network= 13 staff members Sean Rosales and Carolyn Wilson greet guests at the Fall 2009 Professional Mentoring Workshop in Little Rock, AR.

THIS ISSU= E:

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT        &nb= sp;                  &= nbsp;                &= nbsp;    COMMUNITY INFORMATION=

DATA CORNER &nb= sp;             &= nbsp;                &= nbsp;             &= nbsp;                &= nbsp;    ADMINISTRATION

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Links to Network 13 Web site

Quality Improvement

Fistula First

Project CROWNWeb
Evaluate this Newsletter

Disaster Resource Materials

Previous Editions<= /p>
Upcoming Events

Data

Clearinghouse Materials

= Contact Us

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Quality Improvement

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Network To Hold AVF Education= al Events in Rogers, AR

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Network 13 will hold “Improving the Delivery of Vascular Access Care for Our Hemodialysis Patients,” an evening meeting to discuss ways to improve local vasc= ular access issues, in Rogers, AR on February 23rd, 2o1o. Physicians, vascular surgeons, nephrology head nurses and dialysis unit administrators are welcome to join the dialogue of how to improve vascular access outcom= es in northwest Arkansas.

The Network will also hold two AVF Evaluation & Cannulation trainings for dialysis nurses and PCTs on February 23rd in Rogers. See li= nk below for more information.

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More Information

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Fistula First Update

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The Network recently distributed all curr= ent and applicable vascular access trends reports and comparative analyses to hea= lth care professionals who work with hemodialysis vascular access. Each dialysis facility should have already received their facility-specific profiles and comparative analyses.   Please make sure to incorporate the vascular access analysis into your facility’s Quali= ty Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) activities.

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Click here for summary information  =

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Study shows that the CMS Fist= ula First Target for Prevalent AV Fistulas is Feasible

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= MIDLOTHIAN, VA (November 12, 2009) – The Fistula First Breakthrough Initiat= ive data supports the feasibility of the 66% target in US hemodialysis facili= ties and not at the expense of increased use of CVCs among hemodialysis patien= ts, according to two abstracts presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s Renal Week.

Lawrence M. Spergel, MD, FACS,¹Janet R. Lynch,= PhD, CPHQ,² Jefferson Rowland, M.Sc., COTR,³ and William M McClellan, MD, MPH⁴ studied treatme= nt centers with an average of greater than or equal to 10 patients, and vasc= ular access data for the 27 months between January 2007 and March 2009. = The data included a census of the vascular access used for each patient.

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A frontline care= giver practices cannulation techniques she learned during the ESRD Network 13 “AVF Evaluation & Cannulation Training” in Monroe, LA in November 2009.

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Read full media release

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Vascular Access Reimbursement Reference Tool Available

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Are you having issues wi= th billing or reimbursement for vascular access issues? If so, here is= a reference tool for you to share with your billing/reimbursement folks in = regards to vascular access and chronic kidney disease.

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More Information

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Sus= an Rolstch and Bernandine Milton demonstrate a role-playing exercise during = the “Patient Safety and Its Importance in Risk Management within the ES= RD Environment” presentation at the Fall 2009 professional mentoring workshop in Little Rock, AR.

Reminder: Timely Transplant Assessment

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Your facility’s interdisciplinary t= eam (IDT) is responsible for providing each patient with an individualized and comprehensive assessment of his or her needs. The comprehensive assessment must then be used to develop the patient treatment plan and expectations for care. This assessment process must include evaluat= ion of suitability for a transplant referral, using selection criteria provid= ed by the transplant center.

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Subscribe to the FDA MedWatch E-List

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The FDA MedW= atch e-list provides clinically important medical product safety alerts and concise, timely information about drugs and devices relevant to the renal community delivered directly from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration= . Join here.

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More Information

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D= etails

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Community Information & Outreach

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ESRD Network 13 Launches 2010 Educational WebEx Series

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ESRD Network 13 is pleased to announce the 2010 WebEx Educational Series Spring schedule. As last year, these p= opular sessions will be held via teleconference and WebEx. These presentations w= ere developed by our Patient Services Department based on requests rece= ived from 2009 Series and Workshop participants. The February session on Mental Health Issues will be led by speakers from the Oklahoma Department of Men= tal Health and Substance Abuse Services and will focus on identification and interventions for depression and mental illness. More than 103 individuals attended the January session on the interdisciplinary assessm= ent.

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Download Schedule

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February is American Heart Mo= nth

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Network 13 has developed= an 11x17 in poster to increase awareness about heart health during American = Heart Month. Feel free to post in your facilities, and/or use as a tie-in for a= ny activities you may have planned.

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Download poster

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NPR Program

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The Network 13 Network Patient Representative Program continues to grow each quarter with new, dynamic patient leaders and advocates. If you have a patient in mind who would ma= ke a good peer educator or who is a good example of a compliant ESRD patient, = then talk to them about the NPR program! Visit the NPR webpage for information= . If you are ready to enroll someone in the program, call the NPR coordinator = at 405.948.2246 or e-mail her at cwilson@= nw13.esrd.net. Carolyn recently was out of the office due to illness, so if you have been unable= to get in touch with her, please call again, as she is now back and ready to= go! If Carolyn is unavailable, contact Heather Binkley, Communications Direct= or, at 405.948.2241 or e-mail her at hbinkley@n= w13.esrd.net. Gentle Reminder: never e-mail patient names to the Network. If you would like us to get in touch with one of your patients, please give us a call!

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NPR Webpage

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ESRD Network 13 Quarterly Pat= ient Newsletter

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Due to changes in security measures, the Network 13 Winter edition of the patient newsletter, Kidney Koncerns, will be delivered to each dialysis facility for distribution to patients.= Please make sure all your patients have the opportuni= ty to pick up a copy!
This quarter’s issue includes an article from a patient who attended the AAKP national meeting, and it also includes pictures of patient activities in the Network 13 area. Talk with your patients about contributing to the newsletter with stories, poetry or support group information. To view archived newsletters, click here.

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Vocational Rehabilitation Rem= inder

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Do you have patients who struggle financially, experience trouble making ends meet or who are seeing an increase in out-of-pocket medical expenses? Do you have patients who, with the right = assistance, could rejoin the workforce or enroll in continuing education or a training program? There are state and federal programs to help your patients= get retraining, rejoin the workforce, go to college or get career training.

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More Details

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PCT Certification Deadline Approaching

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All dialysis patient care technicians must become certified by April 14, 2010, according to the Conditions for Cover= age for End-Stage Renal Disease Facilities. Because not everyone passes the c= ertification exam on the first attempt, it is advisable to test early – in order= to have an opportunity to re-test, if needed.

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More information

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Flu & Preparedness Materi= als Available in Multiple Languages

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F= lu.gov has been established as the central source for H1N1 information and provides resources on the novel virus in Arabic, Chinese= , French, Russian, and Spanish. General pan flu information for individuals and families is also available in Am= haric, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Oromo, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

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More Languages=

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Dialysis Patient Speak DVD Available in English & Spanish

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Dialysis Patients Speak: A Conversation a= bout the Importance of AV Fistulas, is a DVD developed by the Network of New England and is now available in both English & Spanish from Network 13. Contact He= ather Binkley, NW 13 Communications Director, for a copy.

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Winter Weather Preparedness

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During winter, the NetworkR= 17;s expectations are that all applicable dialysis and transplant provide= rs will 1) monitor weather conditions: 2) have visited their disaster plans; and, 3) implement actions as necessary. Remember to keep open lines= of communication for patients and staff...

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More Details     &nb= sp;

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Experts Answer Home Dialysis Questions Online

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Madison, Wisconsin—The popul= ar Home Dialysis Central site (www.homedialysis.org) has added a new feature—Ask the Experts—to its extensive list of resources. Now, patients and professionals who are interested in do= ing dialysis at home can submit questions and receive answers from knowledgea= ble professionals who have extensive experience with home dialysis. Eac= h of our experts will monitor a new message board on Home Dialysis Central.

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Read full media release

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Medicare’s Dialysis Fac= ility Compare (DFC) Web site Provides Important Information

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Medicare provides a Web site called Dialy= sis Facility Compare, which allows patients and professionals to view important information about dialysis facilities in the U.S. It prov= ides information about dialysis facility services, quality measures and other renal resources. If you would like written materials to provide to patien= ts regarding this resource, contact the Network office. Please inform your patients about this valuable resource. For detailed instructions about ho= w to use the DFC Web site, click = here.

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Mini-Poster Helps Educate Med= icare Patients About Flu Vaccines

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CMS would appreciate your help communicating with the public, especially seniors and vulnerable populations, that Medicare and Medicaid cover both= the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines. Seniors are encouraged to get their seasonal flu vaccine as soon as possible. The vaccine that protects against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus (sometimes called swine flu) is a separate vaccine and is available now. The first available doses of this vaccine should be given to those at hig= hest risk of infection and complications such as children, pregnant women, health care workers and younger adults with certain medical conditions. T= here is some evidence that people 65 and older are less likely than younger pe= ople to be infected with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.

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More Details      Download Mini Poster

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2010 Resource and Cost-Sharing Limits for Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) Announcement

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released guidance on the updated 2010 resource limits = for individuals who apply and qualify for the low- income subsidy (LIS). The 2010 resource limits are $8,100 ($12,910 if married) for the full low-income subsidy and $12,510 ($25,010 if married) for other low-income subsidies. CMS will release the 2010 income standards for the low-income subsidies in early 2010 after the release of the 2010 federal poverty lev= els (FPL).

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Download official memo

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FDA Patient Safety News (PSN) Available

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FDA Patient Safety News (PSN) is a monthly video news show for healthcare professionals. It covers significa= nt safety alerts, recalls, new product approvals, and offers important tips on protecting patients. Read the complete stories and watch or download the video program at http://www.fda.gov/ps= n. You may have already received notification of some of these safety issues through the MedWatch E-list. However, many of these PSN stories contain v= ideo footage and demonstrations that may be especially useful to educators in healthcare facilities and academic institutions.

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New From the Medicare Learning Network

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Do you ever wonder about how to utilize search tools in selected areas of the CMS website? The searchable Medicare Coverage Data= base (MCD) contains all Medicare National Coverage Determinations (NCDs), Nati= onal Coverage Analyses (NCAs), Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs), and local policy articles. The Medicare Learning Network (MLN) has produced a “How To” booklet (2.5MB), that provides an explanation of the MCD, as well as how to use the Search, Indexes, Reports and Downloads features. The How to Use the Medicare Coverage Database booklet (November 2009) can= be located at h= ttp://www.cms.hhs.gov/ MLNProducts/MPUB/list.asp on the MLN Publications page. Use sea= rch key words how to, to = locate this publication quickly. Understanding the search tool is the best= way to find the information for which you are searching!

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More Details

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Data Corner

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CROWNWeb: A Phased-In Approac= h To 100% Data Collection

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= Greetings and Happy New Year!

= 2744 FACILITY SURVEY VERIFICATION DUE FEBRUARY 19th

Along with the New Year comes time for An= nual Facility Surveys (CMS – 2744). The first week of February, we will be sending the CMS - 2744 along with related patient information to = the Data Contact at each facility for verification and completion. Plea= se watch for this packet, complete the requested information and return to t= he Network office as soon as possible. The information collected from = the CMS – 2744 is used for patient population reporting and statistical purposes, as well as Medicare planning. Therefore, it is extremely important that the information collected in the CMS – 2744 is compl= ete and accurate.

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More Details

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CROWNWeb: Education and Train= ing

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More Details

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CROWNWeb: New Year Edition CR= OWNWeb Newsletter

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Download newsletter

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Administration

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Annual Report Available on We= b site

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As a reminder, the 2008 ESRD Network 13 Annual Report is available to view and download on the Network 13 Web site. There is also an Annual Rep= ort Executive Summary available for viewing and download.

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See report

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Reminder*

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Please remember to pass along to your pat= ients resources and important information obtained from Network 13. We value our common goal of improving quality of care. Thank you for all your efforts!=

=

This material was prepared by Network = 13 under contract #HHSM-500-2006-NW013C with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy.

To r= emove your name from our mailing list, please click here.

Questions or comments? Email us at nycu_editor@nw13.esrd.net o= r call 405-942-6000

ESRD Network 13

4200 Perimeter Center Drive, Suite 102

Oklahoma City, OK 73112

(405) 942-6000

Patient Toll-Free Number: 1.800.472.8664

www.netwo= rk13.org