In This March 2021 Issue
- Happy National Kidney Month!
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World Kidney Day—Living Well with Kidney Disease
- Don’t Miss the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Sessions at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Conference
- Home Dialysis Universal Education Training
- Diet and Nutrition Resources Added to TheKidneyHub.org
- Join the ESRD National Coordinating Center (NCC) for the COVID-19 Webinar Events
- CMS Offers Support to Texas After Major Snowstorm
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Coming Soon—ESRD NCC Resources Under Development
- Mark Your Calendar
- Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER): Registration Is Open for the 2021 KCER Summit
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Patient and Family Engagement |
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Happy National Kidney Month!
March is National Kidney Month, a time when communities across the country raise awareness about kidney disease. This year’s focus is on taking charge of your health and the many factors that go into managing your kidney disease.
Here are some quick facts about kidney disease according to the National Kidney Foundation:
- Kidney disease affects 30 million people in the United States (15% of the adult population) and, approximately 90% of those with kidney disease don’t even know they have it.
- More than 700,000 Americans have irreversible kidney failure, or ESRD, and need dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.
- More than 475,000 ESRD patients receive dialysis at least 3 times per week to replace kidney function.
Help your patients learn what they can do to take charge of their health and manage their kidney disease with support from the ESRD NCC at https://esrdncc.org/en/patients/.
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World Kidney Day—Living Well With Kidney Disease
March 11, 2021 is World Kidney Day and this year's theme is Living Well with Kidney Disease. World Kidney Day raises awareness of the increasing burden of kidney diseases worldwide and to strive for kidney health for everyone, everywhere. You can download World Kidney Day awareness resources by visiting https://www.worldkidneyday.org/2021-campaign-materials/.
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Don't Miss the ESRD Sessions at the CMS Quality Conference
The 2021 CMS Quality Conference kicks off Tuesday, March 2, 2021. The 2-day virtual conference brings together 5,000 thought leaders across the healthcare spectrum to explore how patients, advocates, providers, researchers, and champions in quality improvement can develop and spread solutions to address key healthcare challenges.
ESRD-aimed educational sessions include:
- ESRD “COVID-Positive” Stories: Responding to a Community in Need
- Optimizing Telehealth for Kidney Transplant
- Performing Kidney Transplants During the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Promoting Appropriate Home Dialysis: A Quality Improvement Report
The CMS Quality Conference helps advance the Administration’s evolving quality agenda. Attendees will gain a clear focus on how they can better contribute to action and results that are aligned with strategic directions from the CMS Office of Administration.
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Home Dialysis Universal Education Training
Do you have staff and facilities interested in learning more about home dialysis? The ESRD NCC developed 3 complementary online courses addressing the benefits, myths, barriers, and the role of the in-center dialysis unit on increasing home dialysis referrals. These easy-to-understand, quick-to-read modules provide up-to-date information, have just 1 quiz, and offer 1.5 continuing education units (CEUs) upon completion. The CEU applies to RNs, CCHTS, MSWs, and RDs—a great opportunity for all. Register for Universal Staff Education: Home Dialysis training by visiting the Universal Staff Education: Home Dialysis webpage.
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Diet and Nutrition Resources Added to TheKidneyHub.org
Healthy eating can take some planning and the ESRD NCC just made it a little easier. The ESRD NCC recently added 2 resources to TheKidneyHub.org mobile tool, geared to help kidney patients and their family members learn about healthy eating habits and how to food shop safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kidney patients who give their bodies the right nutrients can help themselves stay active and healthy. Share TheKidneyHub.org with your Network Patient Advisory Committee members and the dialysis facilities in your service area.
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Join the ESRD NCC for the COVID-19 Webinar Events
The ESRD NCC is hosting publicly available webinars for patients, healthcare professionals, and those interested in the care of kidney patients to discuss the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Frontline healthcare workers, ESRD Networks, Centers for Disease Control & prevention (CDC) prevention scientists, and patients present their experiences, insights, and recommendations for combating COVID-19.
Upcoming webinar events will focus on:
- Improving mortality outcomes in dialysis facilities during a pandemic.
- Healthcare equity in a pandemic.
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CMS Offers Support to Texas After Major Snowstorm
As the snow and ice melts, CMS is working to ensure hospitals, dialysis clinics, and other facilities can continue to operate and provide access to care to the people of Texas. The agency announced last week that efforts are underway to support Texas in response to the severe winter storm that recently affected the state.
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Coming Soon—ESRD NCC Resources Under Development
Here are a few items we are creating for you:
- Tip Sheet: Helping Patients Participate in Quality Assessment & Performance Improvement (QAPI) Meetings
- What to Expect When You’re Diagnosed with COVID-19
- Hospital Discharge Checklist Video
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March 1–31, Bleeding Disorder Awareness Month
During this month's health observance, it is important to recognize that rare bleeding disorders often require whole blood or platelet transfusions. So, when you donate blood, you may be saving the life of a patient with a rare bleeding disorder. Learn more at
March 1–31, National Nutrition Month
This is an annual nutrition education and information campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The purpose of nutrition month is to help the public become aware of the importance of good nutrition and a healthful eating plan. Download a handy toolkit from the Eat Right website for tip sheets, games and activities, and planning materials at www.eatright.org/food/resources/national-nutrition-month.
March 14–20, Patient Safety Awareness Week
March 14–20, National Sleep Awareness Week
This annual event, created by the National Sleep Foundation, seeks to promote better sleep as a way to increase overall health and well-being. Learn more at www.thensf.org/.
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Registration Is Open for the 2021 Virtual KCER Summit
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Time: 11 a.m.–3 p.m. ET
KCER invites you to attend the 2021 KCER Summit. The virtual event is open to the public. The KCER Summit 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. The 2021 KCER Virtual Summit will feature topics that address the unique needs of the ESRD population during crises or disasters.
Objectives:
- Describe lessons learned and key considerations for responding to natural disasters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Share personal stories from patients who have been impacted by COVID-19 and other emergencies.
- Describe best practices and challenges encountered by providers during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine updates, and information specifically related to the ESRD community.
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Don’t forget to ‘Like’ the ESRD NCC on Facebook.
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‘Follow’ us @ESRDNCC on Twitter.
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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. FL-ESRD NCC-7N5TA2-03012021-01 |
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