Even though the coronavirus and the influenza virus are not the same, they both can be very deadly. The World Health Organization estimates that there are around 1 billion cases of influenza globally each year, resulting in 290,000 to 650,000 deaths.
The best way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated. In addition to getting vaccinated, frequent hand washing can help prevent contracting the virus. There is also some evidence to suggest that wearing surgical masks may offer some protection against not just COVID-19, but the flu virus as well.
For more flu prevention steps, visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/prevention.htm.
CMS Goals:
- Achieve patient COVID-19 vaccination rate of 80%
- Achieve patient influenza vaccination rate of 85%; achieve 90% of staff influenza vaccination
- Achieve patient pneumococcal conjugate 13 (PCV, Prevnar 13) vaccination rate of 56%
- Achieve patient pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPSV, Pneumovax 23) vaccination rate of 87%; achieve PPSV vaccination rate of 80% of patients over age 65
- Achieve patient PPSV booster vaccination rate of 43%
Resources:
Flu & COVID-19: #StopTheSpread
COVID-19 Is Here, But So Is the Flu
Network contact: kristi.durham@allianthealth.org
Patient and Family Engagement
QAPI
Do you have a best practice that you would like to share with other dialysis facilities to improve their success in getting patients to attend their monthly QAPI meetings? The Network would like to spread your success throughout Network 8 and Network 14. Please send your success stories to Debbie O’Daniel at debbie.odaniel@allianthealth.org.
Life Plans
Over the past few months, the Network has received feedback from Social Workers who have successfully incorporated Life Plans for their patients. They are using the plans to help new ESRD patients with looking towards the future with a positive attitude. They are also using the plans to assist patients who are non-compliant with their treatment, fluid intake, diet, and other areas of their care, as a modification tool. We hope by sharing this information it will help you in creating Life Plans for your patients.
Peer Mentoring Benefits
- Patients may have family and friends to assist with their new diagnosis. However, it helps to have someone who has been through the same experience and has a good understanding of all that dialysis involves.
- For those who do not have friends or family to assist them, peer mentors can be essential in providing support.
- Better outcomes for the mentee.
CMS Goals:
- Increase the number of facilities that integrate patients and family members into QAPI meetings
- Assist patients to develop a life plan
- Develop and support a peer-mentoring program
Network contact for Patient & Family Engagement (Life Plans and QAPI): debbie.o’daniel@allianthealth.org
EQRS Data Quality
The CMS 2728 Form – This is perhaps the most important form for ESRD patients. This form is used to add patients to the ESRD registry and is used by the Social Security Administration as medical evidence that may qualify an individual to receive Medicare benefits because of having ESRD.
The form is not submitted for AKI patients.
There are 3 types of CMS 2728 form: the initial form, a supplemental form, and a re-entitlement form.
The initial form is for all patients who initially receive a kidney transplant or begin a course of dialysis.
For patients for whom a physician has prescribed a regular course of dialysis treatment because they have reached that stage of renal impairment so that a kidney transplant or regular course of dialysis is necessary to maintain life.
A supplemental form is for patients who receive a transplant within the first 3 months of their first date of dialysis or who are trained for self-care and are expected to perform self-care. A supplemental form can only be created when either a transplant or self-care training is completed within the first 3 months of the patient’s being declared as having End Stage Renal Disease.
The re-entitlement form is created for beneficiaries who have already been entitled to ESRD Medicare benefits and those benefits have been terminated because the patient has stopped dialysis for more than a year or has had a transplant for more than three years.
The CMS 2728 form is due within 45 days of the qualifying event (first date of dialysis, completion of training with the expectation to self-dialyze or receiving a transplant within the first 3 months of initiating dialysis, or restarting dialysis after a year, or restarting after a transplant fails (when that transplant fails beyond 36 months from the transplant).
Submitting these forms on time helps to ensure that patients receive the benefits to which they are entitled.
CMS Goals:
- 2% increase in rate of admission records from dialysis facilities entered within 5 days
- 2% increase in rate of initial 2728 forms submitted from dialysis and transplant facilities within 45 days
- 2% increase in rate of 2746 forms submitted from dialysis facilities within 14 days
Resource
Instructions for completing the 2728 form can be found here on pages 5-7 of the form. Though forms are now completed in EQRS, you may find it helpful to print the form instructions for quick reference.
