
CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls- January 2021
CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and...

NEW NHSN COVID-19 Vaccine Modules
The CDC just released weekly COVID-19 vaccination data reporting modules: Surveillance for Weekly HCP & Resident Vaccination. These modules allow reporting of COVID-19 vaccination coverage among: Healthcare personnel working in Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs)...

Make Every Bite Count: Dietary Guidelines for Americans Released 2020-2025
Jointly published by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) every five years, the guidelines provide science-based recommendations designed to foster healthy dietary patterns for Americans of all ages. Importantly, this edition...

Vaccination Toolkit for Long-Term Care Facilities – Now Available
We are pleased to let you know that the Vaccination Toolkit for Long-term Care Facilities is now available on CDC’s website. For the Long-Term Care (LTC) Vaccination Toolkit and all COVID-19 vaccination toolkits visit: COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkits | CDC You play a...

New CDC Training and Resources for Safer Opioid Prescribing
CDC released a new suite of training tools and resources to help clinicians and healthcare executives apply CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain in clinical settings Addressing the Opioid Overdose Epidemic in the Emergency Department: This new...

Golden Ticket: A Best Practice at Rolling Hills Healthcare in Belle Fourche, SD
Golden ticket: an extremely valuable opportunity or means of access to something desired [Dictionary, Merriam-Webster] The Rolling Hills Healthcare team in Belle Fourche, SD implemented a 'Golden Ticket' program as an 'extremely valuable opportunity' to help...

Emergency Department Toolkit Goal: Reduce Overdose Rates
Emergency departments are among the frontline providers for assessment and treatment of substance use, opioid use and non-fatal drug overdose. According to the Avoid Opioid web site, opioid deaths in South Dakota have steadily increased since 2012 and unintended...

Share in #HealthySDHolidays
Chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, require ongoing management in order for individuals with these conditions to stay at their healthiest. That doesn’t stop because of a pandemic, family emergency, or otherwise. For some, the added stress of the...

Virtual Offering Expands Powerful Tools for Caregivers
Author: Jane Strommen, PhD Gerontology Specialist, North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension Caregiving can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be filled with enormous physical, emotional, and financial challenges. It is essential for caregivers to...

CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls [December 2020]
CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and...

Preparing For the COVID-19 Vaccine
The Great Plains QIN team recently added these Vaccination resources to the COVID-19 page of our Web site; locate them on the Vaccinations tab of this page. COVID-19 Vaccine Resources COVID-19 Vaccination Communication Toolkit — Medical centers, clinics, and...
![Webinar: What Every Clinician Should Know about COVID-19 Vaccine Safety [December 14, 2020]](https://i1.wp.com/greatplainsqin.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/COVID-19-Image.png?resize=1080%2C300&ssl=1)
Webinar: What Every Clinician Should Know about COVID-19 Vaccine Safety [December 14, 2020]
CDC COCA Call: What Every Clinician Should Know about COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Monitoring vaccine safety is a vital part of the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As COVID-19 vaccines become available, the public’s knowledge and confidence in their safety,...

New CDC Video Series Covers Critical Infection Control Topics
Crucial Content for Every Frontline Healthcare Worker Project Firstline’s first video in a series called Inside Infection Control was launched earlier this week. The video, “What’s the goal of infection control?” sets an important foundation for episodes to come. The...

The More People Vaccinated; The More People Protected
December 6-12 marks National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW), an annual observance to remind everyone that there’s still time to get your flu vaccine if you haven’t already. Flu activity is still low, but it may increase as we head into the winter. There are many...
![A Healthcare Professional’s Survival Guide to the Impacts of Pandemics And Other Stressors Webinar [December 9, 2020]](https://i1.wp.com/greatplainsqin.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/December-Webinar-Resiliency.jpg?resize=1080%2C300&ssl=1)
A Healthcare Professional’s Survival Guide to the Impacts of Pandemics And Other Stressors Webinar [December 9, 2020]
A Healthcare Professional’s Survival Guide to the Impacts of Pandemics & Other Stressors: An Evidence-Based Approach to Resiliency Wednesday, December 9th 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. CT ...
![Webinar: What Every Clinician Should Know about COVID-19 Vaccine Safety [December 14, 2020]](https://i1.wp.com/greatplainsqin.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/COVID-19-Image.png?resize=1080%2C300&ssl=1)
ECHO COVID-19: Global Conversations
This series of teleECHO sessions addresses up-to-date concerns, information on evidence-based best practices and updates on the transmission, spread, and clinical management of COVID-19. This ongoing series is open to all healthcare workers around the globe...

Family Caregiving for Diverse Elders Resource Hub
In the March 2020 issue of AARP, Amanda Singleton's article, The Future of Family Caregiver Support is Diverse and Inclusive illustrates how caregivers are diverse and should be supported in an inclusive manner. She states, "Today, about 30 percent of caregivers...

Cross-Cultural Communication and Language Access Can Help Address Health Literacy and Improve Communication
Health communication strategies and technology impact health outcomes, quality of care and health equity. They determine a patient’s ability to make informed decisions and play a significant role in health promotion. December is a time when many families celebrate...

CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls [December 2020]
CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and...

Geriatric and Age Friendly TeleEcho Sessions/Huddles
The Great Plains QIN team had the opportunity to partner and support the University of North Dakota Project ECHO Series; the focus being Geriatric and Age Friendly Care. Following each monthly ECHO session, the Great Plains QIN team offered a 'huddle' to further the...

We All Have a Role In Protecting Each Other #NIVW
Every December, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) observes National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) to highlight the importance of influenza vaccination. We can all do our part to help raise awareness about flu risks and encourage everyone to...

CDC Webinar [Monday, December 7] – Flu Vaccination Through Late Fall and Winter: It’s Not Too Late!
Monday, December 7, 2020 from 1 - 2 pm CT During the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be important for all individuals, especially those at...

CMS Will Retire the Original Compare Tools on December 1, 2020
In early September, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released Care Compare on Medicare.gov. Care Compare streamlines the eight original health care Compare tools, like Nursing Home Compare, Hospital Compare, Physician Compare, etc., which will be...

New CDC Self-Paced Training Module for Administering COVID Vaccines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a new, web-on-demand, self-paced module for healthcare providers who will be administering COVID-19 vaccine. This module, COVID-19 Vaccine Training: General Overview of Immunization Best Practices for...

Virtual Workshops Expand Access to Chronic Disease Self-Management
Rural populations and agriculture communities understand the value of effective tools and community connections. Chronic disease self-management programs (CDSMP) use these same concepts to improve quality of life for those managing a health condition. Despite a desire...

CMS Releases Nursing Home COVID-19 Training Data with Urgent Call to Action
Thanks to the nursing homes whose staff have completed free CMS training, but remaining homes are urged to take advantage of this resource November 18, 2020 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publicly recognizing the 1,092 nursing homes at...

Social Needs and Health Equity
Perspectives on “want versus need” vary greatly and are swayed by culture and environment. The concepts of equity versus equality face similar biases. As it relates to healthcare, understanding the difference between social determinants of health, social needs, and...

Expanding Prevention Culture Through Data
Community health centers (CHCs) provide quality healthcare in rural, low-income and underserved populations. All individuals receive comprehensive, integrated primary, dental and behavioral healthcare regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. The nine...
![Decisional Making Capacity: Great Plains QIN Huddle [November 17]](https://i0.wp.com/greatplainsqin.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/reading1280x300.jpg?resize=1080%2C300&ssl=1)
Decisional Making Capacity: Great Plains QIN Huddle [November 17]
Access to geriatric care improves the quality of life for patients and residents in our communities. Great Plains Quality Innovation Network is partnering with the University of North Dakota to improve access to care for patients with complex conditions in rural and...

Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Application and COVID-19
2020 Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Exception and Promoting Interoperability Hardship Exception Application Deadline: December 31, 2020 CMS Memo | November 16, 2020 - The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all clinicians across the United States and territories....