July 17, 2026

Dear Kids Health First (KHF) Providers and Practice Administrators,

We have some important updates about payor updates, new programs, and upcoming events. There's a lot of information, and we want to keep you informed. Please read through this email carefully and let us know if you have any questions.

Important Updates

KHF Peer Poll Results: Sports Physicals & Well Child Visits

Thank you to everyone who participated in last week's peer poll on how practices handle sports physicals and well child visits. The responses highlight that while most practices follow a similar approach, there is still variation in workflows and billing.

Key Takeaways

92% of responding practices complete sports physicals during the Well Child Check when requested.
When a separate visit isn't required, 90% of practices will complete the sports physical if the Well Child Check occurred within an acceptable timeframe.
Nearly 64% of practices allow up to one year between the Well Child Check and completion of the sports physical, although some noted that school or county requirements may shorten that timeframe.
Billing practices remain mixed, with 56% billing insurance and 44% treating sports physicals as self-pay services.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. These peer discussions help practices compare workflows and identify opportunities to improve efficiency while meeting patient and payer requirements.

View the responses.

Practice Administrator Meeting Recording Now Available

Last week's KHF RoundUp inadvertently omitted the recording link from Brent Reece's presentation during the Practice Administrators Meeting. We appreciate those who reached out asking for it.

If you were unable to attend—or would like to review Brent's discussion on current legal and risk management topics—you can watch the presentation here:

Practice Administrators Meeting Recording: Virtual Practice Administrators Meeting-20260618_100226-Meeting Recording | Videos & Movies on Vimeo

Risk Management Q&A: Documentation During Well Child Visits

Question:

Should documentation for Well Child Checks be as detailed as documentation for sick visits? Currently, our sick visits often include detailed findings, while Well Child Checks may simply state "normal."

Answer from Brent Reece, Sterling Seacrest Pritchard:

Generally, the more specific, the better. Otherwise, it can come across as a cursory (i.e., checking the boxes) review. I recall handling a case years ago where the physician allegedly failed to diagnose meningitis. He noted in the chart that the patient complained of a severe headache, and that is what the plaintiff attorney relied upon heavily in his argument with the jury. The physician testified, however, that he recalled the patient telling him that her headache was not unusual or different from other severe headaches (migraines) that she had before, but it wasn’t documented that way and we lost the case.

I’d recommend that you use the same form regardless of whether it’s a sick visit or well visit. Otherwise, an argument could be made that your providers perform only a cursory exam on well visits compared to a sick visit exam. I conferred with Curi’s risk management consultant and she agreed as well.

Another Q&A with Brent From the Section 504 Rehabilitation Act, from the Final Rule

“Comments: The Department received several comments asking for clarification of the types of entities covered by section 504. Many mentioned specific entities and asked whether they are covered. Others requested that the Department provide a list of all covered entities.

Response: Most of these commenters were essentially asking for a more detailed explanation of what constitutes “Federal financial assistance,” the prerequisite to section 504 coverage, than what appeared in the proposed rule's definition. The Department's interpretation of Federal financial assistance and the types of entities covered by this rule can be found in the discussion of Federal financial assistance contained at § 84.10, the definitions section of the rule.”

From Brent: Here’s the definition of “Federal Financial Assistance” under § 84.10:

Federal financial assistance means any grant, cooperative agreement, loan, contract (other than a direct Federal procurement contract or a contract of insurance or guaranty), subgrant, contract under a grant or any other arrangement by which the Department provides or otherwise makes available assistance in the form of:

(1) Funds;

(2) Services of Federal personnel;

(3) Real and personal property or any interest in or use of such property, including:

(i) Transfers or leases of such property for less than fair market value or for reduced consideration; and

(ii) Proceeds from a subsequent transfer or lease of such property if the Federal share of its fair market value is not returned to the Federal Government; and

(4) Any other thing of value by way of grant, loan, contract, or cooperative agreement.

My understanding of Tricare is that it is federally funded. Thus, it would seem to meet the definition above.

Curative Health Plan Contracting UpdateShare Your Feedback on AAP Leadership Conference Resolutions

Curative Health Plan terminated from the First Health (under KHF’s Aetna agreement) effective 12/31/2025. Curative is now contacting practices to establish direct contracts. TCCN and KHF are not pursing contracts with Curative. If Curative contacts your practice and their offer and rates meet your business need, you can contract with them without referring them to KHF.

August Practice Administrators Meeting: Leadership Development Session

The August Practice Administrators Meeting will be held as a special in-person leadership development session on August 20. Rather than a traditional PA meeting, this program will feature Leigh Smith, MBA, MSW, CPHQ, who will share practical strategies for leading multigenerational teams, improving employee engagement, strengthening workplace culture, and increasing retention.

The session is designed for practice administrators, office managers, physicians, and practice leaders seeking practical tools they can immediately apply within their organizations.

Date: August 20, 2026

Time: 10:00 a.m. – Noon

Location: Scottish Rite Hospital Auditorium