Welcome to the June Issue of
ACT IVATION
Volume 1 Issue 2
In This Issue
 
  • July 2019 Quality Improvement Activity (QIA) Learning and Action Networks (LANs)

  • National Peer Mentoring Initiative

  • Human Centered Design (HCD) Updates

  • National Care Transitions Awareness (NCTA) Day Summit

  • KCER Watch Special Edition for the 2019 Hurricane Season
Quality Improvement
Learning and Action Networks
Following is an overview of the upcoming July 2019 QIA LAN meetings:

July 2 Bloodstream Infections (BSIs)
A panel of speakers from Upper Peninsula System Portage Dialysis will explain how they implemented the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) core interventions and reduced the facility BSI rate from 4.5 in 2018 to 2.2 in 2019. The panel, which includes Karen Kelley, RN, Cindy Martineau, RN, Melissa Hoffmeyer, RN, and Angela Harju, CCHT, will share strategies for using the CDC Dialysis Collaborative Audit Tools with management and peers, and offer ideas for engaging patients and families in infection prevention.

July 9 Home Modalities
This meeting will feature the successful in-center hemodialysis Home Ambassador Program at DaVita Wofford Dialysis located in Greenville, SC. Debra Bowser, RN, will describe what the program is, how it was implemented, and how the facility achieved ten home conversions during 2018. 

July 16 Transplant
Courtney Rodgers, LCSW, from Fresenius Medical Care City Center in New York, will discuss barriers patients encounter during the process of being referred, evaluated, and wait listed for a transplant. Ms. Rodgers will identify successful strategies for minimizing barriers and share best practices for building relationships with local transplant centers. 

March LAN Interventions
The following tables display the top three implemented interventions from the March QIA LANs. The implementation data was obtained from the May LAN post-evaluation question: If you attended the March meeting, or listened to the recording, which of the following QIA LAN interventions did you implement?  Respondents were able to select more than one intervention .
Bloodstream Infection
Implemented an early warning signal

Used CDC audit tools

Practiced the CDC non core interventions
87%

83%

47%
Home Modality
Involved caregivers and family members when educating patients

Included home patients during in-center Lobby Day events

Provided patients with the My Life, My Dialysis Choice tool
57%

26%

24%
Transplant
Hosted a Lobby Day event

Provided education about waitlisting at multiple centers

Created a resource table for the waiting room
67%

42%

32%
Patient and Family Engagement
National Peer Mentoring Initiative
During April 2018, the NCC and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted a focus group with patient subject matter experts (SMEs), the ESRD Networks, large dialysis organizations (LDOs), and community stakeholders to discuss findings from a peer mentoring environmental scan. The focus group members collaborated to identify successful strategies and resources to guide the development of a national initiative, with the goal of ensuring all patients with ESRD have knowledge of and access to available peer mentoring resources and activities.

The NCC is using the environmental scan and focus group findings to identify a framework and protocols to support development and implementation of peer mentoring programs within the ESRD community. To avoid duplication of effort, protocols and materials will be developed based on existing strategies, tools, and resources that have been successfully implemented in other programs. The NCC will continue to collaborate with CMS, stakeholders, and focus group members to develop the national-level resources.

In support of the initiative, the NCC developed a peer mentoring web page to serve as a platform to coordinate access to currently available peer mentoring programs throughout the kidney community. For more information visit: https://esrdncc.org/en/patients/peer-mentoring-resources/ .
Human Centered Design
Increase Access to Transplant and Reduce the Kidney Discard Rate
During 2018, the NCC, CMS, and Accenture conducted research to uncover root causes of behavioral factors impacting kidney transplant and discard rates. The research included a literature review, ethnographic interviews, and an ideation session that generated over 150 ideas, which were grouped into 26 concepts. During 2019, the NCC, CMS, and Accenture will review the concepts to identify and prioritize those with the greatest potential to improve the ESRD patient transplant experience. Selected concepts will be further refined and pilot tested. A complementary effort to improve transplant and discard rates is being conducted with transplant centers and organ procurement organizations. 

Increase the Use of Home Dialysis Modalities in the ESRD Community
For the home dialysis project, the NCC will conduct research related to strategies for increasing the use of home dialysis modalities in the ESRD community. During June 2019, the NCC will begin research activities for this project, including a literature search, an actor mapping session, and ethnographic research. 
 
Please contact Julie Moss at JMoss@hsag.com if you would like to recommend stakeholders to participate in this project, including patients and caregivers, dialysis and home program providers, and/or nationally-recognized experts from your Network service area.
 
Develop a Patient Social App 
This project uses an HCD approach to uncover patient needs related to development of a social app to support increased ESRD patient empowerment and activation. During May 2019, the NCC presented CMS with a research readout summarizing findings from the literature search, actor mapping sessions, and ethnographic interviews. An ideation session was also held during May, with participation from patients, caregivers, a nephrologist, CMS, and dialysis facility staff, including a nurse, social worker, and dietitian. The session generated more than 250 ideas. Next steps include synthesizing the ideation data and presenting an ideation read-out to CMS. 
Communication and Coordination
National Care Transitions Awareness Day
During April 2019, CMS hosted the NCTA Day Summit, which was held to increase awareness and action in the beneficiary and provider communities of the importance of safe and effective care transitions between all settings. The event brought together beneficiaries, representatives of healthcare systems, quality improvement organizations, community partners, and payers, and included more than 20 presenters sharing best-practice and inspiring conversations across the spectrum of CMS programs.
 
In support of NCTA Day, and in collaboration with CMS, the NCC produced and shared three resources with the Networks for ESRD community use: key messages, a facility pledge form, and a booklet for patients on reducing hospitalizations. During June and July, the NCC will be reaching out to obtain feedback from the Networks about dissemination and use of the resources. The findings will be shared with the Networks, and the NCC will collaborate with CMS to identify potential solutions to barriers, opportunities for improvement, and best practices. Click here to access the NCTA resources on the NCC website. 
KCER Watch 2019 Hurricane Season Special Edition
The KCER Watc h newsletter was developed to provide timely and relevant emergency preparedness education and information to the renal community, including important news and events from the emergency management field. The June edition of KCER Watch focuses on preparing for the 2019 Hurricane Season, and includes topics such as what to include in an emergency kit and how to follow the three-day emergency diet. The issue also highlights patient resources developed by the National KCER PFE-LAN, including an emergency disconnect handout and dialysis patient identification cards, are also highlighted.

Visit the KCER website to access the June edition of KCER Watch and please feel free to share this resource!
Mark Your Calendar
NCC Event Calendar

Click here to view the June 2019   event calendar. The calendar displays dates and times for the QIA and Patient Experience of Care LANs, National PFE LAN and Affinity Group meetings, Community of Practice calls, and Forum of ESRD Networks meetings. 

Health and Safety Observances

June 1–30, 2019, National Safety Month
National Safety Month uses weekly themes to raise awareness about different safety topics. The 2019 themes include Hazard Recognition, Slips, Trips and Falls, Fatigue and Impairment. Visit the National Safety Council website to learn more and to find resources that support sharing of safety messages.

June 14, 2019, World Blood Donor Day
This day is held to celebrate voluntary, unpaid blood donors and to raise awareness of the need for regular blood donations. The goal is to encourage more people all over the world to become donors and to donate regularly. Visit the World Health Organization website to learn more about blood donation and obtain materials for promoting the day.

July 1–31, 2019, National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
This observance aims to improve access to mental health treatment and services for multicultural communities and to raise awareness about the effects of mental illness on racial and ethnic minority populations. Visit the National Alliance for Mental Illness website to learn more and get resources to take part in raising awareness. 

July 14–27, 2019, ECHO Donate Life (Every Community Has Opportunity)
This campaign focuses on making the Donate Life message one of diversity and inclusion. The goal is to empower multicultural communities to register as donors and to encourage meaningful conversations about donation. Visit the Donate Life website to learn more and access campaign materials. 
Don’t forget to ‘ Like’ the ESRD NCC on Facebook.
‘ Follow’ us @ESRDNCC on Twitter.
WEBSITE  |  EVENTS  |  RESOURCES
This material was prepared the End Stage Renal Disease National Coordinating Center (ESRD NCC) contractor, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy nor imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. FL-ESRD NCC-7N1T02-06102019-01