Alli has more than twelve years of experience as a dialysis patient care technician, vascular access manager, home dialysis educator, and EQRS Lead. She has been a part of the Midwest Kidney Network Data Team since 2019, specializing in EQRS facility support and technical assistance.
Staff
Alli Bailey
Data Manager
Contact Alli for...
- EQRS technical support, concerns, or questions
- Data reporting and submission requirements
- New dialysis facility or transplant unit registration
Deborah Bowe, RN
Quality Improvement Coordinator
Contact Deborah for...
- Infection control and patient safety
- Vascular access management
- Quality improvement strategies and methods
- Conditions for Coverage
Deborah has forty eight years of experience working in ESRD. Her clinical expertise includes chronic outpatient dialysis, acute inpatient dialysis, home peritoneal dialysis training, vascular access, and management of an incenter hemodialysis unit for twenty five years. At Midwest Kidney Network, she has specialized in bloodstream infection & long-term catheter reduction initiatives. Deborah is currently leading our home dialysis project to increase the number of patients performing dialysis at home.
Diane Carlson
Former Executive Director
Before retiring in spring 2022, Diane had forty two years of experience with nonprofit health care agencies working to improve quality of health care and working with the End Stage Renal Disease Network Program. Her experience includes executive and strategic leadership, organizational and contract management, founding member of Superior Health Quality Alliance, quality improvement activities, and health information administration. For any questions, please contact Dee LeDuc, Executive Director at Dee.LeDuc@midwestkidneynetwork.org.
Aletha Duncan
Health Information Specialist
Contact Aletha for...
- EQRS technical support, concerns, or questions
- Data reporting and submission requirements
- New dialysis facility & transplant unit registration
Aletha comes to us with more than thirty years of experience in dialysis. While working with Fresenius and Abbott NW Hospital, Aletha served as an EQRS lead, patient educator, and patient care technician in both home and incenter dialysis.
D.J. Johnson
Communications and Quality Improvement Project Specialist
Contact D.J. for...
- Communications/Website/Social Media/Newsletters
- Emergency Preparedness
- Quality Improvement Project Support
- Facility Closures
- CLAS (Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services)
- 5 Diamond Patient Safety Program
DJ has a background in a wide variety of industries such as Renewable Energy and Finance, but joined us in 2022 after 8 years as a Facility Administrator for DaVita. Now supporting one of the largest ESRD Networks in the US, he is passionate about providing communications and improved data visibility and results to all dialysis operations and transplant centers we support. DJ enjoys working with patients, dialysis facilities, clinicians, and support staff towards the mutual goal of performing high quality dialysis.
Candace Kohls, RN
Quality Improvement Director
Contact Candace for...
- Clinical issues
- State surveyor information
- Conditions for Coverage
- Quality Incentive Program
- Quality improvement strategies and methods
Candy has twenty years of experience working in the ESRD community. Specifically, her clinical experience includes acute dialysis, chronic incenter dialysis, vascular access, and home peritoneal dialysis. She also has experience in clinic administration for home dialysis PD & HHD. In addition to working in ESRD, Candy has worked in critical care nursing and community mental health.
Liza Laudenbach, LICSW
Patient Services Coordinator
Liza’s dialysis social work career includes experience working in outpatient dialysis clinics, as well as inpatient hospital settings. She enjoys her work with dialysis patients and providers. Liza also enjoys addressing the mental health and palliative care needs of the ESRD community. She supports the Patient Services Team as a Patient Services Coordinator.
Dee LeDuc
Executive Director
Contact Dee for...
- Agency mission, goals and objectives
- Governance
- Quality improvement initiatives
- Questions about the ESRD program
- Strategic Partnerships and collaboration
Dee has more than twenty years of experience working with non-profit healthcare organizations; previously as Data Manager at Midwest Kidney Network and most recently as Coordinator of the National Forum of ESRD Networks. She is a Registered Health Information Technician with experience in health information management and agency coordination.
Renae Nelson, LICSW
Patient Services Director
Contact Renae for...
- Patient or facility concerns
- Interest in Midwest Kidney Network's Consumer Committee
- Depression Project/Resources
- Patient Engagement/NCC LAN questions
Renae works with people with end stage renal disease (ESRD) as well as dialysis and transplant providers to improve the quality of care received by patients. She brings over thirty years of social work experience to Midwest Kidney Network. She enjoys working with both patients & providers to help them problem solve solutions to their concerns.
Patrick Shannon
Quality Improvement Technical Assistance Coordinator
Contact Patrick for...
- Onsite technical assistance
- Quality Improvement
- In person expertise
Patrick has been in the ESRD community for 17 years as an RN. He has worked as a floor nurse, nurse supervisor, and nurse manager. He oversees the process of visiting the Network's units in person. He feels rewarded meeting the people that serve our patients in their communities in person. These visits will allow the Network to provide even better support to our dialysis community, with onsite discussions and feedback to help both the Network and its customers provide the best of care for our patients.
Claire Taylor-Schiller, RN
Quality Improvement Coordinator
Contact Claire for...
- Infection control and patient safety
- Vascular access management
- Quality improvement strategies and methods
- Conditions for Coverage
Claire has almost seventeen years of experience working as a registered nurse. For over the last eleven years, her career has been focused in ESRD as the unit coordinator of an incenter hemodialysis unit. She is excited to join the team at Midwest Kidney Network, as she is passionate about quality improvement and enhancing the lives of patients beyond the bedside through working on population health.
Kristen Ward, MPH
Quality Improvement Systems Specialist
Contact Kristen for...
- Clinical data in EQRS
- Dialysis Facility Reports (DFRs) and Performance Score Reports (PSRs)
- National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)
- Data collection for quality improvement projects
Kristen has been with Midwest Kidney Network since 2007. Kristen works with the clinical data used in Network quality improvement projects such as infection control, immunizations, home dialysis and transplant. Kristen enjoys helping providers access and understand data they can use for quality improvement projects in their own organizations.