Support Gainful Employment of ESRD Patients – PHFPQ

 QIA Guidelines

The intent of this QIA is to assist ESRD patients with seeking gainful employment and/or returning to work.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers the Ticket to Work Program. Under this free and voluntary program, eligible beneficiaries between the ages of 18 and 55, who are blind or have a disability and receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits are entitled to sign up with an Employment Network (EN) or a State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency of their choice. These approved service providers coordinate and provide appropriate services to help eligible beneficiaries find and maintain employment. Appropriate services may include training, career counseling, vocational rehabilitation, job placement, and ongoing support services necessary to achieve a work goal.

Collaboration: the Network shall identify a minimum of five (5) Employment Networks and/or the State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency that serves the recruited patient population and educate patients regarding the researched and identified EN and/or VR resources.

Facility Selection: The Network shall include in the QIA, at least 10% of the dialysis facilities within the Network’s service area.

Inclusion Criteria: The ESRD NCC will provide to the Network, based on CROWNWeb, the number of patients reported as receiving EN and/or VR services to be used as the numerator and to be used for the denominator, the number prevalent patients between the ages of 18 and 55

Goal: The Network shall demonstrate at least a five (5) percentage point increase in referrals to the identified EN and/or VR in by September 30th of the contract year. The Network shall demonstrate at least a two (2) percentage point improvement in the number of patients receiving EN and/or VR services in closed CROWNWeb data by September 30th of the contract year. The Network shall monitor the number of referrals that are received by the EN and/or VR.

Baseline Data: The baseline for this QIA shall be the number of patients identified in CROWNWeb as working in the patient demographics, in October 2016 – June 2017 / Re-measurement: September 30, 2018

Project leads should ensure that the vocational rehabilitation data is updated in CROWNWeb monthly.

Projects Tools and Resources:

Throughout this project, participating facilities will receive tools and resources for patient self-management, goal setting, and VR/EN patient education.

These powerful materials were created to support the activities of Employment Networks (ENs), Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies and other SSA-approved disability employment-focused organizations as they assist people with disabilities as they enter or re-enter the workforce.

Please utilize the following resources to help educate patients about the Ticket to Work Program:

Events:

WISE Webinar: Wednesday, September 26, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET register here!
Work Incentive Seminar Events (WISE) webinar: Ticket to Work and Reasonable Accommodations - When: Thursday July 25th from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EST ) - Click the here to register
Wednesday, January 17, 2018, Noon - 1 PM, EST - What You Need to Know About CMS' 2018 Priorities, Goals, and Quality Improvement Activities / Materials: PowerPoint Presentation, WebEx Recording

 QIA Guidelines

Projects Tools and Resources:

Events:

Newsletter:

For more information: