May has been designated Mental Health Month since 1949. The impact of COVID-19 has been felt by both patients and staff. This May, both the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Mental Health America (MHA) have shared tools and resources to help promote treatment, self care with a goal to reduce the stigma that surrounds mental health diagnosis. The IPRO ESRD Network Program encourages dialysis providers to review the following resources and incorporate in your work with your patients and staff.
Category: Depression
Talk to Your Patients about Mental Health
May is Mental Health Month. Raise awareness by talking about mental health conditions. Recommend appropriate preventive services, including the Initial Preventive Physical Examination, Annual Wellness Visit, and Depression Screening.
For More Information:
- Medicare Preventive Services Educational Tool
- Initial Preventive Physical Examination Booklet
- Annual Wellness Visit Booklet
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Mental Health website
Visit the Preventive Services website to learn more about Medicare-covered services.
Looking for resources on depression and mental health?
The National Forum of ESRD Networks’ Kidney Patient Advisory Council (KPAC) has developed the Dialysis Patient Depression Toolkit. Created by patients for patients, with important contributions by professionals, this toolkit was is designed to help patients who feel that they may be experiencing depression. It also offers facility staff guidance in providing hope and assistance to patients with mental health concerns. The toolkit also addresses anxiety, sleepiness, substance abuse and more. It provides coping skills for patients, whether or not they are currently working with a professional in these areas of mental health, as well as resources and contact information for those individuals interested in more information about how to find help.
Don’t Miss Out on QIP Points
The timely completion and reporting of Quality Incentive Performance (QIP) measures ensures that a facility has the maximum opportunity for Medicare reimbursement. Facility staff members need to make sure they are aware of all the deadlines associated with each reporting measure. QIP scores are not only valuable for the facility; they are also beneficial for the patients.
Effective in Calendar Year 2016, Payment Year 2018, CMS expanded the non-laboratory-based area of the ESRD QIP by adding several additional measures. Two examples of these reporting measures are “Pain Assessment and Follow-Up” and “Clinical Depression Screening and Follow-Up.” Both of these measures were designed to determine whether facilities regularly assess their patients’ pain and depression, and whether they develop follow-up plans as necessary.