Topic	Resources
Network Technical Assistance	A flyer on the kinds of Technical Assistance the Network can provide to facilities.
Network Goals	Network Clinical Performance Measures Goals
Clinical Performance Measures	Survey Measures Assessment Tool (MAT) Dialysis Lab Tests At A Glance Our CPM Page, with tables and charts of our historical CPM data and links to national CPM resources. The NKF Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) home page. In Search of Albumin Best Practices, and Barriers to Achieving High Albumins, which we assembled from interviews with Network dietitians for one of our own QI Projects.
Conditions for Coverage	The new Conditions for Coverage include facility quality improvement requirements. Details of State Survey Expectations under New Conditions for Coverage (March 2009)
General QI Tools	Summary of the Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) process from the new Conditions for Coverage Sample QI Tools from our own toolbox, in Microsoft Word format, so you can change them to fit your own circumstances: A Root Cause Template. A QAPI Template, or list of questions to ask yourself when starting a QI project. A QI Action Plan, or table for keeping track of tasks and timelines once you define a QI project. A blank Fishbone Diagram for plotting cause and effect.
Forum MAC Toolkits	QAPI Toolkits from the Medical Advisory Council of the Forum of ESRD Networks:       Catheter Reduction Toolkit       Assurance of Diabetes Care Coordination Toolkit       Vaccination Toolkit       Medication Reconciliation Toolkit
Infection Control	Survey Requirements for Infection Control Survey Requirements for Isolation Room/Area (page 2 of this link)
Dialysis Water Treatment	Survey Measures Assessment Tool (MAT) AAMI RD 52: Monitoring Guidelines for Water Purification Equipment and Distribution Systems and Dialysis Chemical Contaminant Levels in Water Used to Prepare Dialysate Water System Flow Diagram (page 2 of this link) Water Treatment Calculator   Note: the Carbon Tank Empty Bed Contact Time (EBCT) and Flow Rate calculators are found on two separate tabs (worksheets) at the bottom of the spreadsheet window. Monitoring Your Dialysis Water Treatment System   (The Network "Water Manual"). ANSI/AAMI RD52:2004, Dialysate for Hemodialysis (Annex E: Special considerations for acute hemodialysis, and Annex C: Special considerations for home hemodialysis, C.5.C Deionization)
Patient Safety	The Virginia and New England Networks have assembled a “5-Diamond Patient Safety Program” with the intention of building a patient safety culture in every dialysis unit, promoting patient safety values, creating an awareness of patient safety issues, and helping dialysis facilities learn more about specific areas of patient safety.   Their introductory press release is at http://www.esrdnet5.org/5diamondptsafety/pressrelease.pdf.   The program includes modules on Patient Safety Principles; Decreasing Patient-Provider Conflict; Emergency Preparedness; Infection Control; Influenza Vaccination; Medication Reconciliation; Missed Treatments; Sharps Safety; Slips, Falls, and Trips; Health Literacy; Patient Self-Managed Care; and Stenosis Surveillance.   All twelve modules, and program details, can be found at http://www.esrdnet5.org/5Diamond.asp.   Each module includes all the tools and resources necessary to implement each patient safety concept.   The program is endorse by ANNA and RPA.
Dialysis Facility Reports (DFR)	Our DFR Page.
Fistula First Breakthrough Initiative (FFBI)	Our Fistula First Page AV Fistula First Breakthrough Initiative Coalition (FFBI) home page. The FFBI Change Concepts page outlining steps for increasing AVF rates. FFBI AVF Cannulation Video Resources on Buttonhole Cannulation Educational Presentation on Improving Buttonhole Cannulation (link is in bottom right corner) Lynda Ball's Nephrology Nursing Journal articles:       The Buttonhole Technique for AVF Cannulation       Improving AVF Cannulation Skills       Determining Maturity of New AVF Fistulae       A Multi-Center Perspective of the Buttonhole Technique Root Causes of Low AVF Rates Root Causes of High Catheter Rates and potential interventions. Catheter Reduction – More Ways to Make It Happen
2009-10 Network QI Projects	Educational Presentations for 2009-10 QI Projects and General Use:       Decreasing Long-Term Catheters       Strategies to Improve Complications Rates with the Buttonhole Technique       Creating Secondary AV Fistulae from Grafts       Assessing AVF Maturity
2008-09 Network QI Projects	An overview of Network QI Projects for 2008-09.
Topic	Resources

                                                                                                                              Page updated July 22, 2010

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