Dialysis Patients and Providers

The following resources are specific to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) and other kidney health providers and patients. 

News & Announcements

• News
  • May 26, 2020: FEMA Releases COVID-19 Pandemic Operational Guidance for the 2020 Hurricane Season
  • April 30, 2020: Trump Administration Issues Second Round of Sweeping Changes to Support U.S. Healthcare System During COVID-19 Pandemic
• Announcements
  • June 2, 2020 - New COVID-19 FAQs on Medicare Fee-for-Service Billing
  • May 12, 2020 - Information about "Project American Strong" Cloth Face Coverings
  • April 7, 2020 - AKF COVID-19 Emergency Fund & Resources for Kidney Patients - The AKF Coronavirus Emergency Fund will provide a grant of $250 to any U.S. dialysis or recent kidney transplant patient who applies to AKF and demonstrates financial need.  
  • March 31, 2020 - CMS Coronavirus Waivers and Flexibilities for ESRD Facilities 
  • March 31, 2020 - CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19 for ESRD Facilities 
  • March 27, 2020 - CARES Act Section 3705 temporary waiver of requirement for face-to-face visits between home dialysis patients and physicians, allowing Medicare beneficiaries with ESRD receiving home dialysis to choose to receive monthly ESRD-related clinical assessments via telehealth. 

Archived Webinars

Visit the Dialysis Patients & Providers Archived Webinars page to view recordings and presentation slides. 

Resources for Dialysis Providers
Please don’t hesitate to contact your Network if you have any questions. ​
 

• American Society of Nephrology (ASN) - 
  • April 17, 2020: ​COVID-19 Podcasts
  • ​COVID-19 Resource Center - Patient and staff educational webinar recordings, as well as other links and resources 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • August 31, 2020: 
    • How to Select, Wear and Clean Your Mask (English / Spanish)
  • May 13, 2020:
    • Special Considerations for Patients on Home Dialysis
    • FAQs on COVID-19 Testing at Laboratories
    • COVID-19 in Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups
  • May 12, 2020:
    • Framework for Healthcare Systems Providing Non-COVID-19 Clinical Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • FAQs for Healthcare Professionals
    • Resources for Hospitals and Healthcare Professionals Preparing for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19
    • ​Frontline Staff Toolkit for Outpatient Hemodialysis Facilities
  • May 3, 2020: 
    • Discontinuation of Home Isolation for Persons with COVID-19 (Interim Guidance)
    • Clinical Care Guidance for Healthcare Professionals about Coronavirus (COVID-19) 
    • Evaluating and Reporting Persons Under Investigation (PUI)
  • May 2, 2020: 
    • Guidance for U.S. Healthcare Facilities about Coronavirus (COVID-19) 
    • Criteria for Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 (Interim Guidance)
  • April 30, 2020: Ten Clinical Tips on COVID-19 for Healthcare Providers Involved in Patient Care
  • April 29, 2020: Conducting Contact Tracing to Stop the Spread of COVID-19 
  • April 17, 2020: Interim Additional Guidance for Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 in Outpatient Hemodialysis Facilities
  • April 13, 2020: Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings
  • April 3, 2020: For Distribution to Patients and Caregivers
    • How Our Facility is Keeping Patient Safe from COVID-19 
    • COVID-19: Keeping Patients on Dialysis Safe
  • April 1, 2020: Screening and Triage for Dialysis Patients at Intake
  • COVID-19 Outpatient Dialysis Facility Preparedness Assessment Tool
  • Preparing Outpatient Hemodialysis Facilities for COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Outpatient Dialysis Cleaning and Disinfection
  • Screening Dialysis Patients for COVID-19
  • Dialysis in Acute Care
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 
  • August 25, 2020: Targeted COVID-19 Training for Frontline Nursing Home Staff and Management
  • June 19, 2020: Medicare Coverage of COVID-19 Testing for Nursing Home Residents and Patients
  • April 27, 2020: COVID-19 Telehealth Toolkit to Accelerate State Use of Telehealth in Medicaid and CHIP
  • March 31, 2020: Critical Clarification from CMS - PD Catheter and Vascular Access Placement is Essential
  • March 30, 2020: Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Dialysis Facilities
  • ESRD Provider Telehealth and Telemedicine Toolkit
  • Memo: Information Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 - COVID-19
  • Memo: Suspension of Survey Activities
• Co-Imagine Health - ESRD Alliance 
  • Healthcare Workers: Coping with Infectious Disease Outbreaks in the Dialysis Setting
• ESRD National Coordinating Center
  • August 3, 2020: The COVID-19 Mental Health Toolkit
  • April 29, 2020: Kidney COVID Info Center
• FEMA
  • August 31, 2020: The Continuous Improvement Process - How Your Organization Can Document Lessons Learned from COVID-19 (English / Spanish)
  • August 31, 2020: National Preparedness Month Themes and Planning
  • ​June 23, 2020: COVID-19 Pandemic Operational Guidance for the 2020 Hurricane Season (English / Spanish)
• Pathways Project 
  • Communication Strategies During a Pandemic: Responding to Hard Questions and Emotional Distress about COVID-19 from Dialysis Patients or their Families
  • Helping You and Your Patients Keep Emotional Balance in this Unbalancing Time
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Resources
  • April 1, 2020: Decontamination and Reuse of Filtering Facepiece Respirators
  • ​Healthcare Supply of Personal Protective Equipment
  • Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of PPE
  • Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of Eye Protection
  • Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of Isolation Gowns
  • Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of Facemasks
  • Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators
  • Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators: Crisis/Alternate Strategies

Resources for Dialysis Patients

• June 18, 2020: Renal Patients in a World of Telehealth (English / Spanish) 
• June 11, 2020: MentalHealth.gov
• June 11, 2020: National Alliance on Mental Illness: COVID-19 Resource and Information Guide
• June 11, 2020: Coronavirus Anxiety Workbook
• June 10, 2020: American Red Cross Virtual Family Assistance Center
• May 26, 2020: Managing Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic (English / Spanish) 
• April 27, 2020: COVID-19 Behavioral Health Resources
• Facts and Recommended Actions for COVID-19 (English / Spanish)
• Staying Safe: Social Distancing During a Pandemic (Video) - (English / Spanish)
• American Society of Nephrology (ASN) - COVID-19 patient and staff educational webinar recordings, as well as other links and resources. 
• American Society of Transplantation (AST)
  • COVID-19 FAQs for Organ Transplantation
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • June 11, 2020: Taking Care of Your Emotional Health
  • April 1, 2020: How to Protect Yourself
  • April 1, 2020: Cleaning and Disinfecting Households
  • Factsheet: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and You
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
  • June 15, 2020: Re-Opening America - What Patients Should Know About Seeking Healthcare (English) (Español)
• Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) Education Center
  • April 27, 2020: English Resources for Dialysis Patients
  • April 27, 2020: Spanish Resources for Dialysis Patients
  • April 17, 2020: Are You Scared or Anxious about COVID-19? 
  • Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Information for Dialysis Patients
  • Webinar: "What COVID-19 Means for Kidney Patients" (Recording / Slides)
• ESRD National Coordinating Center (NCC)
  • June 15, 2020: 11 Things You Can Do to Get Ready for a Kidney Transplant during COVID-19
  • May 11, 2020: TheKidneyHub.org - The NCC Patient Web Tool that helps people find resources created by patients, for patients
  • May 11, 2020: The Doctor Will See You Now: Telemedicine Makes It Easy
  • April 29, 2020: COVID-19 Database of Credible Resources
    • English PDF
    • Spanish PDF
  • April 29, 2020: Kidney COVID Info Center
  • April 9, 2020: Patient Safety Tips for Dialysis Transportation during the COVID-19 Outbreak (English / Spanish)
  • April 9, 2020: 5 Urgent Reminders - About COVID-19 for Individuals on Dialysis (English / Spanish)
  • 4 Ways to Empower Yourself to Cope with COVID-19 (English / Spanish)
• Forum of ESRD Networks
  • August 31, 2020: Is a Kidney Transplant Right for Me? 
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
  • Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health - Tips for Social Distancing, Quarantine and Isolation During an Infectious Disease Outbreak

State and Territory-Specific Resources

ESRD Network 3 (www.qirn3.org) 

• New Jersey

  • Department of Health

    • August 11, 2020: Guidance for COVID-19 Diagnosed and/or Exposed Healthcare Personnel

    • June 10, 2020: REVISED Healthcare Personnel (HCP) Exposure to Confirmed COVID-19 Case Risk Algorithm

    • April 17, 2020: Temporary Rule Waiver/Modification - Dialysis Staffing

    • March 30, 2020: Priority Actions for All Post-Acute Care Settings in Response to COVID-19

    • Information Specific to Healthcare Providers

  • Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

    • Coronavirus Information Sharing Card (English / Spanish)

  • NJ211

    • The Coronavirus (COVID-19)

    • NJ211 Information Hub

  • State of New Jersey Office of Emergency Management

    • County Coordinators

• Puerto Rico

  • Department of Health/Departamento de Salud

• U.S. Virgin Islands

  • Department of Health

ESRD Network 4 (www.qirn4.org)

• Delaware

  • Division of Public Health

  • Division of Public Health Contact Information

    • Media inquiries: DPHMedia@delaware.gov

    • Call Center: 1-866-408-1899 (General questions)

    • Epidemiology Hotline: 1-888-295-5156

      • If there are grave concerns about people experiencing symptoms, or people who think they have come in contact with positive cases, please direct them to the Epidemiology hotline immediately.

    • PPE Requests: OEMS@delaware.gov

• Pennsylvania

  • Department of Health

  • PA Emergency Management Coordinators

ESRD Network 5 (www.qirn5.org)

• District of Columbia (DC)

  • Mayor's Office

• Maryland

  • Department of Health

• Virginia

  • Department of Health

• West Virginia

  • Department of Health and Human Resources