Comagine Health’s ESRD Network strives to promote optimal care for people with end-stage renal disease. Optimal care includes not only safe and quality care, but also improved patient independence and quality of life. Vocational rehabilitation (VR) provides a path to reduce the impact of kidney disease on your lifestyle and income.
These VR resources can assist you in returning to work or school.
*Available in other languages at https://www.ssa.gov.
The Network is here to support your vocational rehabilitation efforts and to help remove any barriers. If you have any suggestions or comments or would like assistance with VR, please call Lisa Hall, patient services director, at 800-262-1514.
While emergency department transfers and hospital admissions/readmissions may be necessary to respond to a LTPAC facility resident’s urgent health crisis, data show that a percentage of these transfers are potentially preventable.
Report to the Network any changes impacting normal facility operations, schedules or access to treatment as a result of power outage, impassable roads or evacuation. Notify the Network as soon as there is a known problem — including outside of business hours.
Guide to Reporting Emergency Events to the Network
CMS requires facilities to contact their local disaster management agency at least annually and as needed for support with restoration of services or to obtain medical resources such as PPE in the event of a disaster or an emergency.
Comagine Health ESRD Network 16 is required by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to conduct emergency preparedness and response activities to assist the renal patient and provider communities in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
In preparation for emergencies, the Network:
During emergency responses, and per HIPAA and CMS policy, the Network:
Phone: 206-923-0714
Patient phone: 800-262-1514
Fax: 206-923-0716
The Medical Advisory Council (MAC) of the National Forum of ESRD Networks has developed toolkits to assist facilities in meeting the Conditions for Coverage.
Download our Virtual Peer Support information sheet.
If you know of a support group not listed here, please fill out this form so we can add it to our list.
We encourage patients to bring questions about these resources to their health care team.
Health care professionals who use these resources are responsible for evaluating the appropriateness of the content.
The Decreasing Dialysis Patient-Provider Conflict Toolkit provides resources to help nurses, physicians, social workers, patient care technicians, dieticians, administrators, unit secretaries and all other staff involved in the daily operations of the dialysis clinic to better understand, respond to and decrease conflict.
The DPC Toolkit is designed to help:
Decreasing Dialysis Patient-Provider Conflict Toolkit
Decreasing Patient-Provider Conflict (DPC) Revised Modules 2024
A kidney transplant is when a kidney from another person (living or deceased) is placed inside your body to do the work that your own kidneys can no longer do. With a kidney transplant you can live a normal life and do not require any form of dialysis while the kidney continues to function. Every patient has the right to be referred and evaluated for a transplant.
You need to pass some medical tests to get a transplant. These tests look to see if your body is healthy enough for the surgery and if you will be able to take the medications needed after surgery to help your body adapt to the new kidney.
Trained staff work with you to determine if transplant is right for you. If you have been told by one transplant center that you are not a candidate, you may qualify at another transplant center with different criteria.
Your doctor should discuss all of the risks and benefits of kidney transplant. Transplants are not always successful. If your transplant fails, you can still pursue other treatment options and get back on the transplant list.
Kidney transplant centers have varying criteria for patients. Use the Kidney Transplant Compare tool to find the best match for your needs. You can search, save and compare centers by medical criteria, support services, wait times, survival rates and location.
Comagine Health’s ESRD Network strives to promote optimal care for people with end-stage renal disease. Optimal care includes not only safe and quality care, but also efforts to improve patient independence, quality of life and rehabilitation. The CMS Conditions for Coverage for ESRD Facilities require facilities to assist patients with an individualized vocational rehabilitation (VR) plan.
These VR resources can help you provide optimal care for your patients and fulfill the Conditions for Coverage.
*Available in other languages at https://www.ssa.gov.
The Network is here to support your vocational rehabilitation efforts and to help remove any barriers. If you have any suggestions or comments or would like technical assistance, please call Lisa Hall, MSSW, LICSW, patient services director, at 206-923-0714, ext. 4213.
The Conditions for Coverage for ESRD Facilities require notification to both the Network and the State Survey Agency of involuntary discharges and transfers. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expects the Network and State Survey Agencies to work collaboratively to ensure facilities follow the ESRD regulatory requirements and to protect the rights of ESRD patients.
Involuntary discharge (IVD) should be the option of last resort. Discharged patients are at high risk for morbidity and mortality. Most challenging situations can be successfully managed through effective assessment, care planning, interventions, and collaboration between providers and patients.
The Network is available for consultation regarding challenging situations and should be contacted as a resource for technical assistance and education.
This webpage is intended to help dialysis facilities comply with CMS and ESRD Network requirements related to IVDs. It includes actions facilities should take and a checklist of the documents that must be sent to the Network.
The ESRD federal regulations (see Interpretive Guidelines V766, V767 and V520) specify that no patient should be discharged or transferred from the facility unless: 1) The patient or payer no longer reimburses the facility for the ordered services; 2) The facility ceases to operate; 3) The transfer is necessary for the patient’s welfare because the facility can no longer meet the patient’s documented medical needs; 4) The facility has reassessed the patient and determined the patient’s behavior is disruptive and abusive to the extent that the delivery of care to the patient or the ability of the facility to operate effectively is seriously impaired; or 5) The patient is an immediate severe threat to the health and safety of others. In cases of immediate severe threat to the health and safety of others, the facility may use an abbreviated procedure.
See also Medical Director Responsibilities for Management of Involuntary Discharges.
The medical director has specific responsibilities and accountability to the governing body for patient care and outcomes and is responsible for ensuring that the interdisciplinary team adheres to discharge and transfer policies. Code of Federal Regulations 42 CFR 494.180 (f) contains the reasons for involuntary discharge or transfer and the medical director’s responsibilities.
The Medical Advisory Council of the Forum of ESRD Networks’ Medical Director Toolkit contains an excellent section, “Dealing with Problem Patients in the Unit.”
Alaska
Phone: 907-334-2483
Fax: 907-334-2682
Idaho
Phone: 208-334-6626
Fax: 208-364-1888
Montana
Phone: 406-444-2099
Fax: 406-444-3456
Oregon
Phone: 971-673-3269
Fax: 971-673-0556
Washington
Phone: 360-236-4681
Fax: 360-359-7958
ESRD Network 16 is under contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect CMS policy.
The CMS-2744A is completed annually by all Medicare-certified dialysis facilities. It collects information about patient and treatment counts at a dialysis facility for the prior calendar year along with facility and staffing information.
The CMS-2744B is completed annually by all Medicare-certified transplant centers and collects information about kidney transplants performed, Medicare information and patients awaiting transplant.
Network staff are available for 30-minute, one-on-one appointments to help you complete the CMS-2744.
