Month: April 2018

Understanding ICH CAHPS

The In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (ICH CAHPS) is a national, standardized, and publicly-reported survey of patients’ perspectives of dialysis care. ICH CAHPS measures the perceptions of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who are receiving in-center hemodialysis care.

Questions in the ICH CAHPS survey components capture patients’ perceptions of nephrologists’ communication and caring, staff communication and caring, operations of the dialysis facility, and the facility’s handling of patients’ problems. The survey also includes questions to determine, patients’ knowledge of treatment options, and satisfaction with grievance management.

The survey can be administered in one of three ways: mail only, telephone only, and mixed (mail followed by telephone). Even though ESRD patients spend a number of hours each week at their dialysis facilities, to avoid any bias in responses the survey may not be administered by any facility staff person and may not be administered in the dialysis facility. Surveys are conducted two times per year: in the spring and the fall. All dialysis facilities that treat more than 30 adult patients in a year are required by Medicare to have their patients surveyed.

As part of your patients’ ESRD healthcare team CMS encourages you and other members of the dialysis facility team to focus on the patient experience of care and on ways that they can improve overall quality of life for patients. The ICH CAHPS assessment provides an opportunity for patients’ to express their perspective about the care they receive. ICH CAHPS results are used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) to determine reimbursements to facilities under the ESRD Quality Incentive Program (QIP). Results are also used to score facilities, using a five star rating system in Dialysis Facility Compare (DFC), to help patients select a facility that is right for them.

For additional information on ICH CAHPS please visit:

April is National Donate Life Month

Celebrated in April each year, National Donate Life Month (NDLM) features an entire month of local, regional and national activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.

To learn more about NDLM, and how you can promote donation, visit https://www.donatelife.net/ndlm/.

Here are some important facts about donation for you to keep in mind from the 2016 Donate Life America Donor Designation Report and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN):

  • More than 33,600 transplants brought renewed life to patients, families, and communities .
  • 8,000 people die each year because the organs they need are not donated in time.
  • 80% of patients on the waiting list are waiting for a kidney. The average waiting time is 3 to 5 years.
  • More than 138 million people are registered organ, eye and tissue donors.

Click here for more information about donation and transplantation statistics.

To register your decision to save and heal lives, visit https://registerme.org/.

IPRO ESRD Network Program Customer Support Portal

In an effort to provide more comprehensive support with the hopes of improving overall data quality, the Network began using Freshdesk, a web-based ticket management and knowledgebase application. It has up-to-date articles, links, and visual aids for CROWNWeb, NHSN, the Quality Incentive Program (QIP) and Dialysisdata.org in one place. Information is provided in the easy-to-use and searchable knowledgebase. Freshdesk provides a platform to submit questions via the portal or email. Network staff will respond by email, phone or WebEx. Please send an email to support@IPRO.freshdesk.com or go to https://ipro.freshdesk.com/support/login.

Promotion of Patient Experience Week (April 23-27)

Patient Experience (PX) Week is an annual event established by The Beryl Institute
to honor individuals responsible for providing patient care. PX Week provides a focused time for organizations to celebrate accomplishments, re-energize efforts and honor the people who impact patient experience every day. The Beryl Institute is a global community of practice dedicated to improving the patient experience through collaboration and shared knowledge.

According to the Institute, “Improving health outcomes for patients starts on the front line with doctors, nurses, administrative staff, and executive team members.” Research has shown that better patient experiences can impact the level of patient engagement, and patients who are active members in their healthcare achieve better clinical outcomes.

For more information on Patient Experience Week, click here.