April 2021 EQRS News

On January 29, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) suspended Clinical Data, In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (ICH CAHPS) Attestation, and Clinical Depression Screening and Follow-Up Plan submissions in the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Reporting System (EQRS).

All EQRS users must continue to follow the data suspension guidelines outlined via the January 29, 2021 EQRS Announcement (Accessible via: http://mycrownweb.org/2021/01/eqrs-system-announcement-jan-2021/).

For further information, please visit QualityNet at https://qualitynet.cms.gov/ or contact the QualityNet Help Desk at 1-866-288-8912, Monday – Friday (7 a.m. – 7 p.m. CT).

KCER Overview

The ESRD Outreach, Communication, and Training (EOCT) team was pleased to have the Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) team participate in the March 2021 Town Hall event. During this session, the KCER team helped to highlight how KCER uses EQRS data to support the ESRD community by:

Coordinating continuing care and access to the services for dialysis patients during emergencies or disasters
Providing technical assistance to ESRD Networks, kidney organizations, and other groups
Ensuing timely and efficient disaster preparedness, response, and recovery for the kidney community
Incorporating the patient’s voice in all activities, specifically within the emergency community as a whole
Maintaining active and engaged Emergency Response Groups

Up-to-date patient information is extremely important, and facilities should keep addresses, phone numbers, and modality current, as these will be among the first items needed when relocating a patient to another facility for treatment.

For more information on KCER and their resources, please visit www.KCERCoalition.com. You can also find KCER on twitter at @KCERProgram or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KCERCoalition.

Emergency Preparedness Checklist

Facilities can assist KCER and the ESRD Networks with emergency planning efforts by using the following Emergency Preparedness Checklist to ensure that their patients’ information are up to date in EQRS.

Emergency Preparedness Checklist

Admit Patients Immediately

Verify Admit Status

Update Patient Attributes

Patient Contact Information (Phone and Address)

Submit CMS-2728 Forms

Run Reports

Patient Roster and Patient Events Reports

Perform Checks and Balances

Review Facility Dashboard
Comply with EQRS Reminders

CMS, KCER, and EOCT encourage all facilities to view the March 2021 Town Hall recording, and to download the PDF of the slides for use as a reference before, during, and after disasters.

These items can be found on the Events page via www.MyCROWNWeb.org.

EQRS Data: Supporting the ESRD NCC

EQRS data reporting assists CMS and the ESRD National Coordinating Center (NCC) with capturing data that is used to support ESRD Networks, facilities, and patients. For example, the ESRD NCC uses the mailing address and CMS-2728 data entered into EQRS to produce and distribute a New ESRD Patient Orientation Packet (NEPOP). This packet is used to help educate new patients on their treatment options.

For more information on the ESRD NCC, go to https://esrdncc.org/en/. Access the March 2021 Town Hall for an overview of how EQRS data supports the ESRD NCC.

Clinical Closures

Clinical closure dates apply to all Collection Types (Hemodialysis; Peritoneal Dialysis). Additionally, clinical data submissions apply to all submission methods.

September 2020 Clinical Month		Suspended until further notice
October 2020 Clinical Month		Suspended until further notice
November 2020 Clinical Month		Suspended until further notice
December 2020 Clinical Month		Suspended until further notice
January 2021 Clinical Month		Suspended until further notice

The information included as part of this newsletter is current as of the date of release.