Patient Ambassadors Continue to Raise Awareness Throughout the Country

In early 2011, DPC’s Patient Ambassadors worked very hard to host successful World Kidney Day and National Kidney Month awareness events, and we were happy to celebrate their efforts! This effort has not let-up, which is why we would like to highlight some of our members’ most recent education and advocacy successes.

DPC Patient Ambassadors continue to organize dialysis facility tours for their Members of Congress. On April 18, Angela Lattimore, of Seneca, SC, hosted a facility tour of her clinic for U.S. Representative Jeff Duncan (SC-3). The event brought together several other state and local lawmakers and received local publicity. Similarly, on April 21, Barry Palleson, of Lawrenceville, GA, helped to host a tour for U.S. Representative Rob Woodall (GA-7). Both events were very successful and made a huge impact on each Congressman.

>Read More Patient Ambassador Activities

New Tool Provides Patient Access to Hospital Compare Data

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) has, for the first time, released to the public important new data regarding the safety of patient care in America’s hospitals. CMS collected information on hospital acquired conditions (HACs), life threatening medical conditions resulting from improper procedures during inpatient care, at more than 4,700 hospitals across the country. The public can now access this information at the Hospital Compare website, which will help educate patients as they make important health care choices.

CMS collected data on a total of eight measures, which were selected because they incur high costs to the Medicare program or because they occur frequently during inpatient stays for Medicare patients, including blood infections from catheters and poor control of blood sugars in diabetic patients. As many as 98,000 people die in hospitals each year from medical errors that could have been prevented through proper care. Although not every HAC represents a medical error, the HAC rates provide important clues about the state of patient safety in America’s hospitals.

While the information contained on Hospital Compare is available for consumers to use in making health care decisions, it is important to remember that prospective patients should gather information from multiple sources when choosing a hospital. In an emergency situation, however, patients should always go to the nearest, most easily accessible facility.

>Hospital Compare Website

DPC Board Member Addresses the Importance of Medication Adherence on Capitol Hill

On Wednesday, May 11, Dialysis Patient Citizens Board Member Elizabeth Jones, MSW, LCSW, participated in a briefing on Capitol Hill highlighting the importance of medication adherence. Elizabeth, a social worker in the renal community for more than 20 years, has been living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) since she was diagnosed in 1991. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle, which includes a special diet and medication, she has been able to prevent progression to end stage renal disease (ESRD). Elizabeth shared her personal story about her 20 year battle with CKD and stressed the fact that a chronic disease diagnosis does not mean that life is over. By educating yourself and following your medication regime, people with CKD and other chronic illnesses can lead a full and rewarding life.

The briefing, hosted by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease and WellPoint, was the second in a series aimed at highlighting private sector best practices to improve outcomes and reduce costs. It featured Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, who spoke on the importance of reigning in health care costs to improve the fiscal and economic outlook of our nation.

Patient Connections

DPC would like to thank everyone who supplied important input on our recent Care Coordination proposed policy!  All of your feedback provided valuable direction as we worked to craft a policy that represented the needs of our membership. DPC continues to raise awareness in Washington DC and across the country about the important issues facing dialysis and pre-dialysis patients, and your insights play a valuable role in our efforts.

>Read the Approved Care Coordination Policy