For Providers

Tools for Implementing Change

Techniques for Root Cause Analysis—Article from the National Institutes of Health Continuing Education Courses Understanding Rapid Cycle Improvement QI: A Culture of Change

Improving Patient Participation at the Facility Level

These resources will be helpful in helping facility staff to engage patients in their care and in the facility:

• Tips to Improve Patient Engagement at the Facility Level—Video
• Patient and Family Engagement
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) ESRD Toolkit
• Person-and Family-Centered Care
  • This web page from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is dedicated to putting the patient and family at the heart of every healthcare decision and empowering them to be genuine partners in their care.

Dialysis Schedules: Tips for Patients and Staff

Scheduling issues are a common source of frustration for dialysis patients and staff.This document addresses what you can do to help keep your dialysis schedule running as on time as possible.

Huddle Up to Improve Communication

Click here to access Huddle Up to Improve Communication, an interactive communication team activity for dealing with conflict.

Toolkit Introduction and Instructions

This is the introduction and instruction section of the BSI Toolkit.

CDC Audit Tools

This is the CDC Hand Hygiene Audit Tools section of the BSI Toolkit.

Environmental Surface Disinfection in Dialysis Facilities: Notes for Clinical Managers

This resource provide notes in a checklist format for clinical managers to utilize for environmental surface disinfection.

Infection Prevention and Monitoring in the Dialysis Setting

This presentation outlines infection prevention best practices and tools for dialysis patients.

Curriculum Guide for Advance Care Planning

This curriculum is designed to assist facility staff in having advance care planning discussions with patients.

Planning Today for Tomorrow's Healthcare: A Guide for People with Chronic Kidney Disease

This brochure will provide details on how to have control over your healthcare in the event that you cannot speak for yourself.

ICH CAHPS

The official website for news and information about the ICH CAHPS Survey.

Patients Decide QIA

This page contains English and Spanish language resources about peritoneal dialysis shared by facilities, Network PACs, and other key players in our ICH CAHPS Quality Improvement Activity. 

My CROWNWeb Website

MyCROWNWeb.org is a website managed for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to offer help and technical support to users of the CROWNWeb system.

QIMS Login for All Users

QIMS login page for all users.

V-Tags & Interpretive Guidance Regarding Patient Transplant

This document is an excerpt from the CMS ESRD Surveyor Training Interpretive Guidance (version 1.1) that highlights information regarding transplant.

V-Tags & Interpretive Guidance Regarding Patient Involuntary Discharge

This document is an excerpt from the CMS ESRD Surveyor Training Interpretive Guidance (version 1.1) that highlights information regarding involuntary discharge.

Unbranded Templates for Facility Use

These materials and templates may be used by facilities for:

• Reaching out to grievants both in acknowledgement of a concern and with the outcome of an investigation.
• For engaging and training peer mentors who can assist other patients in navigating the grievance process.

QAPI and the Grievance Process

The QAPI Toolkit, developed by the Forum of ESRD Networks, is designed to assist facilities in designing a facility based QAPI program, with the ultimate goal of improving quality of care. Click below to access the toolkit, as well as a PowerPoint on using QAPI to improve care.

• QAPI Toolkit (PDF)
• Using QAPI to Improve Care: Putting it to Work in the Real World (PPT)

Quarter 4 2019 Provider Newsletter

The Quarter 4 Provider Newsletter highlights educational topics that can be discussed with patients to help maintain heart and kidney health, specific Medicare Part B benefits, the various vaccinations that are important for dialysis patients, strategies for reducing medication errors, quality...

Quarter 3 2019 Provider Newsletter

This Quarter 3 Provider Newsletter highlights the role of the Network and the Clinical Guidelines and Standards of Care, how to help patients with their Medicare Part D benefit review and open enrollment, the importance of the flu vaccine for patients and staff, qualtiy improvement activity highlights, and more.

Addressing Abusive Behaviors in the Dialysis Center

This document looks at some of the specific underlying causes of conflict that could possibly lead to abusive behaviors and methods for overcoming them.

Can You Ever Be Discharged from Dialysis?

This document designed for use with patients outlines the situations in which a patient can be involuntarily discharged from his or her dialysis facility.

Dialysis NHSN Helpdesk: Newsblast Archive

Newsblasts are simple and short articles that address important issues currently trending in the Dialysis Helpdesk inbox. In February 2015, the Dialysis Helpdesk began disseminating newsblasts on a monthly basis, towards the end of each month. Refer to the newsblast archive for answers to frequently asked questions, deadline reminders, and breaking news that you may have missed. 

Reducing ADE Tip Sheet - California

This one-pager provides an overview of the occurrence of ADEs in California and provides tips for providers to better assess risk and prevent ADEs.

Prescriber Quick Tips: Anticoagulants

This tool provides tips to reduce adverse drug events with anticoagulant use.

American Kidney Fund

The American Kidney Fund is dedicated to ensuring that every kidney patient has access to health care, and that every person at risk for kidney disease is empowered to prevent it. The site offers patient programs, kidney disease education, and professional education.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The CDC works to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, the CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same.

CMS Memo: Clarifying PY 2020 Performance Period for ESRD QIP NHSN Personnel Influenza Vaccination Reporting Measure

As a part of the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) PPS proposed rule released in May 2017, CMS proposes to correct the performance period for the NHSN Healthcare Personnel Influenza Vaccination Reporting Measure for Payment Year (PY) 2020.

ESRD Quality Incentive Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administers the ESRD Quality Incentive Program (QIP) to promote high-quality services in outpatient dialysis facilities treating patients with ESRD. This page includes FAQs, milestones, and program details.

Conditions for Coverage

The Survey and Certification Program certifies ESRD facilities for inclusion in the Medicare Program. This page includes links to applicable laws and regulations, and provides resources to support and assess compliance with Federal regulations.

Model for Improvement

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) uses the Model for Improvement as the framework to guide improvement work. It is a simple, yet powerful tool for accelerating improvement. This site will help you learn about the fundamentals of the Model for Improvement and testing changes on a small scale using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles.

Vascular Access Monthly Reporting Tool

This tool is designed to help facilities track their progress at reducing long-term catheters and improving vascular access use in their patients.

Long-Term Catheter Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Tool

This tool helps facilities evaluate their long-term catheter use and analyze how they can reduce their use and encourage permanent accesses.

Let's Talk: Starting the Conversation to Prevent HAIs

Preventing infections is important for patient safety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants dialysis patients and dialysis centers to start a conversation about preventing infections. Family members can also start the conversation. We hope this guide can be a starting point to improve awareness about patient safety issues.

HAIs and Antibiotic Resistance: Communication Tools for Health Departments

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with support from with Porter Novelli, are pleased to launch a suite of communications tools designed to help health departments articulate the value of public health in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and stopping the spread of antibiotic resistance. This webinar will orient health departments and key partners on how to use these tools to reach and engage various public health and healthcare audiences, including hospitals, patient care providers, facility support staff, the media, and many others who are critical to raising awareness and taking action to contain and prevent HAIs.