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December 2007

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A New, Better Way to Communicate

Welcome to our first issue of Renal News – the BC Provincial Renal Agency’s (BCPRA's) new electronic newsletter. This new publication replaces our two former publications, Renal News and Nephrology Bulletin.

With Renal News we intend to deliver more timely information on topics of interest to members of our provincial renal network. The new publication will also offer more photos than our previous publications and provide a wider range of background information related to its stories through links to web pages and PDF documents.

Renal News will be produced every two months and distributed by email. We encourage renal managers to share the publication with their front-line staff by forwarding the email version or by printing and posting Renal News on staff bulletin boards.

The next issue of Renal News will appear in February.

Keeping Track of Our Success

Every golfer is familiar with using a scorecard to keep track of results.

And for much the same reason, the BC Provincial Renal Agency now uses a "balanced scorecard" for evaluating the effectiveness of renal care delivered by the renal network to patients province-wide. In fact, all Provincial Health Services Authority agencies now use balanced scorecards for similar purposes.

Click here for full story

New DVD for Patients Highlights all Aspects of Care

The latest BCPRA informational DVD for patients, with sections on the full continuum of kidney care, is now available.

The new DVD, called Patient to Patient, provides information about all aspects of kidney care, including pre-dialysis and kidney care clinics, dialysis care (facility-based hemodialysis, independent hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis), transplant and conservative care.

Click here for full story

New Contract for Pharmacy Partners

The BCPRA is in the process of awarding new, three-year contracts to 31 community partner pharmacies in the province. The contracts will take effect January 1, 2008.

Click here for full story

BC Nephrology Days a Success

Approximately 450 members of the BC renal community, along with renal professionals from elsewhere in Canada and the U.S., converged on the Renaissance Marriott Harbourside Hotel in Vancouver for BC Nephrology Days 2007.

Click here for full story

PROMIS Helps Support Integrated Care in IHA

The BC Provincial Renal Agency’s groundbreaking PROMIS database system has been recognized as a key element of a major initiative for Interior Health’s new Integrated Health Centre in Penticton.

The multidisciplinary health care team at the centre required a robust new information system to support delivery of integrated chronic disease management for patients in the South Okanagan with one or more of the cardiovascular cluster of chronic diseases.

Click here for full story

Gaining Advantage from Provincial Contracts

As every shopper knows, it's usually cheaper when you buy in bulk.

Applying the same logic, BCPRA and the renal community use the services of Medbuy to negotiate its contracts for medical supplies. Medbuy is a national organization that is able to leverage significant concessions from suppliers through group purchasing on behalf of its members. For the renal community, this translates into millions of dollars every year that can be used to improve renal care in the province.

Click here for full story

Profiles in Kidney Care

Dialysis patients who live in BC’s Northern Health region are benefiting from two programs aimed at maximizing independence: one supports patients to dialyze at home regardless of where they live, and the other, for people who live in or near Prince George, supports patient involvement in dialysis unit-based treatment.

See the BC Renal Agency Website for the full story.

IN THIS ISSUE

A New, Better Way to Communicate

Keeping Track of Our Success

New DVD for Patients Highlights all Aspects of Care

New Contract for Pharmacy Partners

BC Nephrology Days a Success

PROMIS Helps Support Integrated Care in IHA

Gaining Advantage from Provincial Contracts

Profiles in Kidney Care

Financial Update

The BCPRA is accountable for the entire provincial renal budget.

In 2007/08 this budget amounted to $135 million, including:

$61 million for direct care
$74 million for indirect care

Click here for more

Committee and Working Groups Update

Renal Dietitians Professional Group

The renal dietitians’ professional group has come a long way from its origins in the mid 1980s when the group included just seven dietitians, all from the Lower Mainland.

Click here for full story

Did you know...?

Since 2002, BCPRA and the health authority renal programs have:

Increased the number of dialysis chairs province-wide by 25 percent
Quadrupled the number of patients being treated through CKD clinics

Click here for more

We want to hear from you...

We want to make Renal News a useful and interesting source of information for all members of BC’s renal community.

Are we providing the information you want? What else would you like to see in Renal News? Perhaps you have some story ideas… Send your feedback or story ideas to bcpra@bcpra.ca

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PHSA improves the health of British Columbians by seeking province-wide solutions to specialized health care needs in collaboration with BC health authorities and other partners. For more information, visit www.phsa.ca