Patient Services Overview

A Sample of Featured Resources

  • After Your Kidney Transplant - This booklet provides information about what to expect after a kidney transplant.
  • Catheters and Hygiene - this resource page provides some tips and links to documents on infection control.
  • Differentiation of Discharge Events [PDF format, 338Kb]- Resource created to address questions and confusion regarding how to properly categorize a discharge event.
  • Exercise and Quality of Life - The resources made available on this page will assist facilities to promote exercise among their patients, to support improvement in KDQOL-36 scores, and to implement the CfC Patient Assessment and Patient Plan as it relates to rehabilitation, transplantation and self-care.
  • Fistula Journeys - A new peer-to-peer educational initiative which aims to help dialysis patients consider their vascular access options by reading patient stories that address the choice of an AV fistula.
  • Suggestions for Dialysis Staff Working with Nursing Home Patients - A resource page created in response to dialysis staff requests for technical assistance in working with dialysis patients in nursing homes.
  • Support Groups - This booklet is designed to provide a brief overview on how to plan and develop support groups for kidney patients, family members, caregivers and interested individuals.

The Renal Network's Patient Services Department (PSD):

  • Handles complaints and grievances
  • Provides technical assistance to both patients and staff,
  • Identifies and develops educational resources.

The PSD works closely with the Patient Leadership Committee which acts as an advisory group and helps to define issues of patient rights and responsibilities.

 

Conditions for Coverage (CfC)

The End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Conditions for Coverage (CfC) set the standards under which dialysis and transplant facilities must deliver services, provide for patient safety and measure standard of care.

A new Conditions for Coverage was published in 2008. It emphasizes a patient-centered treatment plan and clearly defines the roles of each member of the dialysis Interdisciplinary Team (IDT). 

The Patient Services Department relies on the CfC to establish guidelines for issues such as grievances and complaints, involuntary discharges and patient assessments and will create resources to assist facility staff with CfC implementations. [for example, PSD created a CfC resource page for social workers based on frequently asked questions.]

 

Complaints and Grievances

The Patient Services Department works directly with facility staff to resolve complaints and grievances as they relate to quality of care issues.

  • The Grievance Process provides an overview of necessary procedures and steps involved in filing a complain or grievance. Access the complete grievance package [ZIP, 85KB] including all form by downloading the linked compressed zip file (requires WinZip to open).
  • The Grievance Policy provides an overview of rules and regulations that the TRN Medical Review Board (MRB) has developed to govern the grievance process.
  • Grievance Data Analysis outlines the procedure used to collect and evaluate the information received through the complaints and grievance process. Data is collected and reported monthly and trended for our annula report. View our 2012 Grievance trends and 2012 Involuntary Discharges.
  • Download the TRN Grievance Poster in tabloid size (11X17) in PDF format [PDF, 379KB].

Termination and Involuntary Discharge:

 

 

 

Technical Assistance

The Patient Services Department provides technical assistance to both dialysis staff and kidney patients.

Examples of Technical Assistance: Staff

  • Identify and develop solutions for challenging situations, such as nonadherence or disruptive behavior
  • Assists with potential involuntary discharge issues
  • Assists with behavioral agreements (contracts)
  • Work with dialysis facilities, professional groups and community-based agencies and organizations to create workshops and educational programs for patients, family members, dialysis staff and the general population. Visit our Training Programs resource page to view some of our online programs for vascular access education, patient safety, communications and more.

Examples of Technical Assistance: Patients

  • Assists in identifying treatment options
  • Assists with the use of effective methods to communicate with staff
  • Assists with concerns regarding their dialysis facility and staff

The Renal Network, Inc.
911 E. 86th Street, Suite 202
Indianapolis, IN 46240
Phone: (317) 257-8265
Fax: (317) 257-8291
Patient Line:
1 (800) 456-6919
Email: [email protected]

Last updated on: September 9, 2013