FMQAI - The Medicare Quality Improvement Organization                                                                June 2009

Featured LINKS

www.fmqai.com/ESRD/ The End Stage Renal Disease Network 7

www.aakp.org  The American Association of Kidney Patients

www.kidneyfla.org  The National Kidney Foundation

www.nkdep.nih.gov  The National Kidney Disease Education Program 

www.kidneyfund.org The American Kidney Fund

MONTHLY TELECONFERENCE

Next Teleconference 

 July 2009

Time and Date to be determined

RESOURCES

Read about a simple strategy to screen for kidney disease at Renal Business.com

Check out the eGFR Trending Tool on FMQAI's website.  Click here.

Type of Dialysis Access May Depend on How Much the Patient Knows 

A recent study published in the American Society of Nephrology was featured on MedPage Today.  The article reported that "patients with renal failure who demonstrated strong knowledge of dialysis care were more likely to have a permanent arteriovenous access."

To review the results reported by Kerri L. Cavanaugh, M.D. of Vanderbilt University, click here.

 

Fistula First = Catheter Last!

 

A recent article in the Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology described in a Pub Med abstract, spoke to the legal and ethical obligations to avoid long term tunneled catheter access.  Authors Rehman, Schmidt, and Moss found that compared with dialysis with AVF's, long-term dialysis with tunneled catheters was associated with:

  • 2-3 fold increase in risk of death
  • 5-10 fold increase in risk of serious infection
  • Increases hospitalization
  • Decreased likelihood of adequate dialysis
  • Increased number of vascular access procedures.

Click here to see the article, Ethical and Legal Obligation to Avoid Long-term Tunneled Catheter Access

 

 Just Because It Is Simple, Doesn't Mean Easy

Many hospitals in the statewide CKD Hospital Collaborative have chosen improved discharge planning as a system level change.  Nationally, much needed attention is focused on preventing readmissions by addressing risk factors early on in the discharge planning process. 

A project supported by grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHQR), the National Institutes for Health (NIH), and others called PROJECT RED is worth looking into.

While these resources are not specific to CKD and fistula placement, the tools, charts, and questionnaires can be easily adapted for your hospital's needs.

 

American Kidney Fund Wallet Card 

The American Kidney Fund features a wallet card online that provides basic information about the risk and tests for kidney disease.  It also includes a list of blood tests and what the normal results should be.  This tool may be a perfect addition to your patient education resources.  Click on the wallet card for more information.

The Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Florida

FMQAI serves as the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization and End Stage Renal Disease Network (ESRD Network 7) for Florida. With a strong reputation as a leader in facilitating change and collaboration, FMQAI implements projects and conducts case review activities to improve care across all settings, including dialysis and transplant facilities.

This material was prepared by FMQAI, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for Florida, 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.  FL2009F73T1ABC1111270      www.fmqai.com