In This Issue Look for a Dynamic Track of Educational Sessions at 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Conference March Quality Improvement Activity (QIA) Learning and Action Network (LAN) Events Implementation of November 2019 QIA LAN Interventions National Patient and Family Engagement (NPFE)-LAN Kicks Off Affinity Group Meetings Patients and Family Members Share Their Kidney Disease Journeys in Podcast Series It’s Here! Announcing the Updated National Patient and Family Engagement-LAN (NPFE-LAN) Webpage Save the Date: 2020 Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) Summit Look for a Dynamic Track of Educational Sessions at 2020 CMS Quality Conference

The CMS Quality Conference will be held in Baltimore, Maryland, from February 25–27, 2020. This year’s conference has a special focus on fostering innovation in kidney health and end stage renal disease (ESRD), and increasing transplantation. There will be a specific track of sessions focused on the ESRD Treatment Choice (ETC) Kidney Transplant Learning Collaborative, with discussions on the goals to increase kidney transplantation; share best practices to increase kidney utilization/donation; and provide exposure to cutting-edge issue discussions, accountability actions, and a thoughtful, disciplined approach to improvement. Registration for this free event can be accessed by visiting www.cmsqualityconference.com/ and clicking the registration button.

Quality Improvement

March LANs Last year, more than 19,000 clinic managers, nurses, social workers, dietitians, and other stakeholders assembled to hear about opportunities to reduce infections in dialysis units, increase the number of patients who are referred to a home dialysis modality, and increase the number of patients who seek joining the transplant waitlist. The LANs are vital to sharing best practices, spreading impactful interventions, and collaborating with high performing stakeholders. Do not miss this opportunity to be a part of this exciting work! Support the ESRD Network QIAs, be in-the-know, and possibly present on future LANs by attending the series. The LANs are open to ESRD patients, providers, and community stakeholders across all Network service areas. Each LAN provides one continuing education unit. Meeting registration details will be sent out in early February. Tuesday, March 3: Bloodstream Infections (BSI) Tuesday, March 10: Home Dialysis Tuesday, March 17: Transplant

Implementation of November 2019 QIA LAN Interventions The following table provides an overview of the reported implementation rates for the interventions shared during November’s QIA LANs. The data were collected from the following question on the January post-LAN evaluation: “If you attended the November meeting or listened to the recording, which of the following QIA LAN interventions did you implement?” Respondents were asked to select all that applied. QAPI = Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement

Patient and Family Engagement

NPFE-LAN Kicks off Affinity Group Meetings More than 90 patient and family subject matter experts (SMEs) are joining the 2020 NPFE- LAN. These are groups of patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals interested in kidney care who work together to make healthcare better for kidney patients and their families. The LAN is made up of SMEs from all 18 ESRD Networks. The LANs are divided into four Affinity Groups, with the goals of: Reducing bloodstream infections. Increasing home dialysis use. Increasing the number of people who receive a kidney transplant. A not-yet-identified patient-selected topic. In 2019, the LAN members enhanced the Test Your Hand Hygiene Knowledg e interactive tutorial, created the Let’s Talk: Home Dialysis conversation cards, developed the Partnering Along the Road to Transplant handout, and designed the Goal Setting: Getting Back to Me workbook. These resources are being spread and shared by patients and community stakeholders, and will be included as part of the ESRD Networks' QIA projects. This is true patient involvement shaping the future of empowerment. The Affinity Groups meetings start Thursday, February 6, 2020 with the BSI.

Patients and Family Members Share their Kidney Disease Journey in Podcast Series   Kidney patients share their most intimate and thought-provoking insights of their kidney disease journeys in the new ESRD NCC podcast series. “But the number one thing that helped me decide was when I asked my doctor what she would do if she were in my position.” Titled, Kidney Timely Talks and Transplant Times , the podcasts are patient, caregiver, and physician focused and cover a wide range of topics on home and kidney transplantation.  Listen to these meaningful conversations from three different perspectives by visiting the ESRD NCC Podcast Webpage .

It’s Here! Announcing the Updated NPFE-LAN Webpage We are excited to announce the revamp of the NPFE-LAN webpage on the ESRD National Coordinating Center (NCC) website. Input from ESRD Network staff and patient SMEs led to the new layout that is designed to create a user-friendly browsing experience—it is uncluttered and easy to navigate. Please share the ESRD NCC NPFE-LAN webpage link that is full of useful resources developed by patients, for patients to the with healthcare providers and patients: https://www.esrdncc.org/en/npfe-lan/.

Mark Your Calendar

March 1–31, National Kidney Month For people with diabetes, high blood pressure, or a family history of kidney failure or heart disease, there is a greater risk for kidney disease. Conversations with healthcare providers are important. Share this link to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases website with anyone at risk to start the conversation. March 1–31, Social Worker Month Happy Social Work Month! Nephrology social workers are important members of the healthcare team because they help patients reach their fullest potential emotionally, socially, vocationally, and physically. Learn more about the role of a renal social worker at the American Association of Kidney Patients website. March 11, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day                              Celebrate Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day (from the the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) and recognize the commitment and support of your renal dietitians. March 8–14, Patient Safety Awareness Week Preventing harm in healthcare settings is a public health concern. Patient Safety Awareness Week (from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement) is an annual recognition event to encourage everyone to learn about healthcare safety. March 12, World Kidney Day World Kidney Day is a global campaign aimed at raising kidney awareness. World Kidney Day continues to raise awareness of the increasing burden of kidney diseases worldwide. The 2020 campaign highlights the importance of preventive interventions to avert the onset and progression of kidney disease. March 24, American Diabetes Association Alert Day ® The American Diabetes Association asks everyone to take the Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test for themselves or for a loved one to learn about the risks for type 2 diabetes. March 30, National Doctor’s Day National Doctor’s Day is held each year on March 30 to celebrate the contribution of physicians who serve the United States by caring for its citizens. Take a few moments today to say “thank you” to a doctor you know. Learn more at the Doctor's Day website .

Save the Date: 2020 KCER Summit KCER would like to formally invite you to attend the 2020 KCER Summit, held annually in conjunction with the CMS Quality Conference. The event is open to the public and brings together stakeholders from the ESRD emergency preparedness community, including Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), CMS, ESRD Networks, providers, large dialysis organization (LDO) corporate leadership, patients, emergency management personnel, hospitals, departments of health (DOHs), utility companies, and transportation companies.   Thursday, February 27, 2020 Time: 8 a.m.–12 noon Baltimore Hilton Hotel 401 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 **Please email KCERinfo@hsag.com for information on how to register for the 2020 KCER Summit.

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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. NW-ESRD NCC-7N51TB-02132020-01.