ADVANCED PRACTICE NEWSLETTER
March 2021
Ivette Becerra-Ortiz, DNP, NEA-BC, CPNP-PC Associate Chief of Advanced Practice &
Shelley Gierat, CRNA Chair of APP Advisory Board Communications Committee
https://diversity.ucsf.edu/sites/diversity.ucsf.edu/files/header_images/whm2021a3_2560x1000_236-margins.jpg
CELEBRATING
NURSE PRACTITIONERS
NURSE ANESTHETISTS
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS
NURSE MIDWIVES 
IN THIS ISSUE

Highlighting APP Practice
at UCSF Health
Courtney Gordon, DNP and Ashwin Kotwal, MD, MS presented a webinar with AAHCM this week entitled "Social Isolation and Loneliness in the Time of COVID-19 – A Review of Interventions Done and Lessons Learned" with Rebecca Conant, MD serving as the moderator. This session was based on a popular 2020 Annual Meeting session, Courtney Gordon, NP and Dr. Kotwal reviewed prior strategies that were strengthened and novel strategies that emerged during COVID-19 to mitigate social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Attendees learned ways to identify loneliness and social isolation, successful intervention strategies, and how to proactively apply those strategies to future efforts.

AND

Critical Care/ICU APP group
recipients of
The UCSF Center for Healthcare Value (CHV) 7 most promising ideas submitted in the Letter of Intent (LOI) phase of the 9th annual Caring WiselyTM Project Contest

Taylor Inman, MSN, AGACNP-BC
Erika Wilson, MS, RN, ACNP-BC
Claudia Cuevas, MSN, AGACNP-BC
Joseph Lake, MSN, AGACNP-BC

As members of the Critical Care APP group they have joined the Vanderbilt APRN Choosing Wisely Collaborative and intend on implementing the Choosing Wisely campaign in the various intensive care units at UCSF. 

The Choosing Wisely campaign was initially created by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation in an attempt to identify common testing and procedures ordered for patients that may be costly and low yield.  

The group has collected data of the top 10 diagnostics ordered on patients in the ICU at UCSF in the last year and are beginning to investigate potential sources of waste and adherence to best practices.  They will then bring awareness and education to fellow colleagues about the right time and place for use.  They want to promote care practices that are rooted in evidence, answer clinical questions, avoid duplication, and are truly necessary.  They plan on presenting during ICU resident noon conferences, creating education for nurses, involving the primary teams of the patients in the various ICUs, sending emails, and creating flyers to post in the ICUs as reminders.  They aim to create a culture of constantly evaluating clinical diagnostic tests to answer certain questions and weighing the risks and benefits for our patients. 
IMPORTANT APP ANNOUNCEMENTS
***ACTION REQUIRED***
UCSF Foundations of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Please complete this course by 4/25/2021

The purpose of the Foundations of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) mandatory online training module is to provide all members of our community with foundational knowledge and common language to better understand why diversity is core to our work at UCSF.
Developed by the Office of Diversity and Outreach and the UCSF Education Task Force, the training module is an important first step in our collective effort to live our PRIDE Values and ensure that our Campus and Health system are free of bias, discrimination, and hate.

Please review the following tips on completing this course:
  • We recommended that you complete this 60 minute training in one sitting. However, if you need to exit and return to it, the program will remember where you left off.
  • This course is rich with images, video, and audio, and we recognize those working remotely may experience bandwidth issues. Please review this FAQ for possible solutions available here: https://training.ucsf.edu/dei
  • Supported internet browsers include Chrome, IE11, Firefox, and Safari (Mac OS).
  • For technical problems with the UC Learning Center, submit a ticket here: https://support.learning.ucsf.edu
  • For questions related to content, please contact: [email protected]
  • You can access the course via the UC Learning Center:
  1. Login to the UC Learning Center at: https://training.ucsf.edu with your MyAccess credentials.
  2. Click the Required Training button.
  3. Click the course title.
  4. Click Start to launch the training
21st Century Cures Act
Open Notes and Results Transparency
All providers and clinical staff at UCSF Health
and affiliated practices
Go Live 3/31/2021

Starting March 31, 2021, Open Notes and immediate release of most results in MyChart will take effect, as required by the new Federal law, the 21st Century Cures Act.

To learn about these changes at UCSF and advice and experience from other organizations:

Click here to view the UCSF town hall recording
Click here to view the corresponding PowerPoint presentation
Click here for Cures FAQs

Immediate release of most results in MyChart
  • Current delays in the availability of radiology, cardiology, and microbiology results in MyChart will be eliminated. 
  • Because of provisions in California law, pathology results will be released after a delay, and our obligations around teen privacy will continue to be respected.
  • The new result release schedule is as follows:
Open Notes
  • Starting March 31, most notes written by providers and other clinical staff will be shared with patients in MyChart.
  • This change is not retroactive so notes written before March 31 will not be shared.
  • Authors affected
  • All providers: attending physicians, residents/fellows, APPs
  • All other clinical staff: nurses, case managers, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, nutritionists, genetic counselors, etc.
  • Timing of MyChart note sharing
  • Notes written by residents/fellows will not be shared in MyChart until the attending attests/cosigns the note
  • Notes that are never cosigned will not be shared in MyChart

  • In Apex, the Share w/ Patient button will be selected by default

  • There are 3 reasons the regulation allows for a note to not be shared:
  • Preventing physical harm
  • Privacy
  • Upcoming legal proceeding
  • To make an exception:
  • Step 1: UN-click Share w/ Patient button (this will prevent the note from being shared in MyChart) and select an exception reason
  • Step 2: Click the Sensitive button (this will prevent the note from being shared in Care Everywhere and flag the note to require provider approval if the patient requests Release of Information)

TO VIEW SLIDE DECK WITH GRAPHICS AND EXPLANATION (AS ABOVE) PLEASE CLICK HERE

We invite you to attend the third UCSF APP Grand Rounds virtually on Wednesday, April 14th from noon until 1pm on Antimicrobial Stewardship. Our speaker is Selene Working, PA-C. She is a physician assistant currently practicing with the University of Pittsburgh Infectious Disease division. She performs ID telemedicine consults for rural hospitals that do not have access to ID expertise. She has seven years of academic ID experience, including inpatients and outpatients.  
 
 
Continuing Education Credits:
PAs may claim Category 2 CME, no additional registration required.

If you are a UCSF RN/NP/CRNA/CNM. You must pre-register with the zoom link and INEx Connect link if you wish to claim CEU credit.  https://ucsfnursing.csod.com/samldefault.aspx
Search by title:  UCSF APP Grand Rounds: Antimicrobial Stewardship
Provider Self-Coding Initiative
Education Sessions and Information
effective January 2021

click here:
Beginning September 2020, UCSF launched an initiative designed to empower providers to bill more simply and transparently for all their tremendous work.
As we look forward to the new simplified CMS coding rules for in-person visits effective January 2021 and for video visits effective immediately, UCSF is taking this opportunity to transition to self-coding for ambulatory Evaluation and Management (E&M) codes.
This change will also assist in UCSF’s financial recovery and align with other AMCs. The resources in the APEXHUB website are designed to support practices that are currently in the process of transitioning to self-coding. Additional information about transition timelines for particular practices will be shared in the coming weeks.
From the Office of the Parnassus Perioperative Triad, the Chair of the Department of Anesthesia, and the Associate Chief of Advanced Practice
 
We are pleased to announce that Mercy Vigil, RN, MSN, CRNA has been selected as Chief of the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA). She will be starting March 7, 2021. Mercy will work collaboratively with Perioperative Services at all sites, the Department of Anesthesia, and the Office of Advance Practice to ensure alignment amongst all departments for optimum support and advocacy of CRNA’s.

Mercy is a San Francisco native and a 1st generation Mexican-American. After obtaining prerequisites from City College of San Francisco and Diablo Valley College, she was accepted into Samuel Merritt University’s national recognized nursing program whereby she graduated Magna Cum Laude; receiving a BSN from their intercollegiate program with St. Mary’s College of Moraga.
Upon graduation, she was hired into Summit Medical Center’s ICU/Cardio-Pulmonary unit. She worked and thrived in the unit for 8 years. During this time, she served as charge nurse and cared for the sickest and most challenging patients. 

In 2007, she graduated from Samuel Merritt University’s Nurse Anesthesia Program with a Master of Science in Nursing. Upon graduation, she was hired by the UCSF’s Department of Anesthesia. She has continued at UCSF for more than 14 years, providing professional and safe anesthetic care. 
Her hobbies include spending time with her family, cooking, hiking or biking all over the world (pre-CoVid), reading, and enjoying time with her sweet little maltipoo, Rosie. 

Please welcome her to her new role. 
From the Office of Advanced Practice Providers

I am happy to announce that Alisa Yee, ACNP-BC is the new Associate Director of Adult Advanced Practice Providers. She will be starting Monday, March 7, 2021. Alisa will work collaboratively with all UCSF Health departments, clinic areas, and sites to ensure alignment among all areas for patient care and Advanced Practice support and advocacy.

Alisa is a 5th generation San Franciscan. Although she graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Genetics, she received her nursing education and master’s degree at UCSF. She is board certified as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. Since 1999 she has worked at UCSF, caring for med-surg ICU and outpatient GI Surgery Oncology/Hepatobiliary and pancreas patients. Throughout her UCSF tenure she's been the recipient of NPIII designation, Medical Center PRIDE award and the Exceptional Advanced Practice Provider Award. She has chaired the APP Advisory Board and continues to serve as an active board member. Her dedication to healthcare combined with her love for competitive tennis she serves as the Chair for the United States Tennis Association medical appeals committee. Her newfound pandemic hobbies include playing pickleball and experimenting with her vegetable garden. 

Please help me welcome her to her new role. 
For some more
Advanced Practice Information
Advanced Practice Provider
Advisory Board

MEMBERS:
  1. NEW seat voted-in 02/2021 for Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland
  2. Eliana Agudelo, PA-C
  3. Annette Carley, DNP, NNP-BC, PPCNP
  4. Ewana Cheng, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
  5. Chris Dambroso, PA
  6. Shelley Gierat, CRNA
  7. Regina Gould, MMSC, MPH, PA-C
  8. Jennifer Kerney, MSN, NP-AC
  9. Michelle Klosterman, MS, MSN, RD, RN, CPNP-PC (Co-Chair)
  10. Danielle Krieger, ANP-BC
  11. Dana Morgan, PA-C
  12. Maura O’Day, NP
  13. Stacie Rohovit, RN. MS, NNP-BC
  14. Meg Schoettler, MSN, CPNP-AC
  15. Tara Valcarcel, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC (Chair)
  16. Mercy Vigil, CRNA
  17. Laura Weil, CNM
  18. Erika Wilson, RN, MS, ACNP-BC
  19. Ryan Wilson, PA-C, MSPAS, MPH
  20. Stacy Wong, NP
  21. Alisa Yee, ACNP-BC

COMMITTEES:
  1. NEW committee voted-in 02/2021: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Chair TBD
  2. Professional Development, Chair Ryan Wilson, PA-C, MSPAS, MPH
  3. Education, Chair Meg Schoettler, MSN, CPNP-AC
  4. Standards and Compliance, Chair Stacie Rohovit, RN. MS, NNP-BC
  5. Outreach and Communication, Chair Shelley Gierat, CRNA
  6. Promotion and Recognition, Chair Alisa Yee, ACNP-BC

APP Advisory Board 02/2021 meeting votes/report out:
  1. PA report out: Not moving forward with PA Career Ladder currently
  2. Vote: NEW committee voted-in 02/2021: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
  3. Vote: Chair for DEI Committee should be a current APP Advisory Board member
  4. Vote: NEW seat voted-in 02/2021 for Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland
Enhancing Diabetes Care Skills
Online Certificate Program

Improve your diabetes care skills with UCSF’s Advanced Management of Diabetes Online Certificate Program, which is led by SON’s Maureen McGrath, MS, RN, PCPNP-BC, BC-ADM

UCSF APPs may enroll with a special 75 percent discount, using the code “SONFAC75.” Three modules cover the core competencies that health care practitioners from any discipline can integrate into their practice settings. The curriculum is designed to support all learners and will be especially useful to those who are preparing to obtain or renew their Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) or Board Certified - Advanced Diabetes Management (BC-ADM) exams. Click link to: Learn more about the 30-unit CME/CEU program.

Teach for UCSF Certificate Program
Improve the quality and depth of the teaching skills of UCSF faculty.
The UCSF Health Office of Advanced Practice Academic Stipend

15 Academic stipends are offered each fiscal year to offset the cost of APPs presenting at a conference in their specialty. Podium/poster/panel presentations will be eligible. Other requirements listed in link below.
Healthcare News
SOME ARTICLES ARE RELEVANT TO ADVANCED PRACTICE.
ALL APP STUDENTS AT UCSF HEALTH FACILITIES
All preceptors are required to ensure all students from ALL educational institutions have been vetted by UCSF prior to any educational activities, including employees. UCSF has many parts of the organization involved in this process. Their school needs an affiliation agreement with UCSF, they need health screening to be completed, they require online training for Health and Safety and APEX, and sign a HIPPA form.
WANT TO SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE WITH APP COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE STATE, THE NATION, OR THE WORLD?
RESOURCES
UCSF HEALTH ADVANCED PRACTICE WEBSITE

If you want to reach the office of Advanced Practice email us at: [email protected]

Email Aletta for the website

Email Ivette

I am here to support and advocate for APP's
Senior Operations Analyst
Associate Chief of Advanced Practice Providers