March 5, 2024

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Dear Professional Staff Members,

We are holding our virtual Professional Staff Town Hall on Wed, March 6, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. The Town Halls will continue to provide educational opportunity, and situational updates from Children’s infectious disease experts and physician leaders relevant to both community- and hospital-based physicians and providers.

We are also pleased to have Dr. Mike Schmitz, Chief of Orthopaedics at Children’s, join us for an update on the Children’s Limb Difference program.

As always, we’ll also have time for questions and answers. Attendees will be placed on mute to facilitate the call, so please send as many of your questions as possible in advance to kate.johnson@choa.org so we can address them during our Q&A session.

You can join the meeting via computer, tablet or smart phone (Event link Ι Password: YJuQTJnP277 (95878567 from phones) | Event Number: 2630 362 4646). If you are unable to join us for the virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, you may listen to the recording at your convenience. Details will be shared following the Town Hall. 

We continue to offer CME credit for these town halls. You must register as an attendee during the meeting to receive credit—either scan the QR code on the screen or email kate.johnson@choa.org for the link. An evaluation link will be sent following the town hall—once you complete it, your CME certificate will be emailed to you.

Thanks for your ongoing care for kids.

Best regards, Jim

James D. Fortenberry MD, MCCM, FAAP, FELSO

Chief Medical Officer | Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

To address provider concerns related to the increased number of RSV cases and maternal RSV vaccination, the Department of Community Health (DCH) is allowing reimbursement for the administration of RSV vaccines. RSV vaccines protect infants and babies from becoming sicker from the virus. The two RSV vaccines, BeyfortusTM and Abrysvo, are available to Health Check providers via the Vaccines For Children (VFC) program. Reimbursement is also allowed on claims submitted for members 19 through 20 years of age.

Beyfortus

DCH allows reimbursement for new RSV vaccine administration codes 96380 and 96381 under the Health Check Program (COS 600). These new vaccine administration codes are covered for the administration of BeyfortusTM RSV monoclonal antibody vaccine and replaces the previously instructed generic CPT code 96372.

For claims beginning with date of service March 1, 2024, Health Check providers should no longer report 96372 for the administration of BeyfortusTM. Providers should report the new vaccine administration codes (96380 or 96381) with the EP modifier, along with the BeyfortusTM vaccine product codes (90380 or 90381) with the EP modifier.  

Abrysvo

DCH allows reimbursement for the administration of the Abrysvo vaccine under the Health Check Program (COS 600). For claims beginning with date of service January 1, 2024, Health Check providers should code the Abrysvo product (CPT code 90678) with the EP modifier. Additionally, the Abrysvo product should be reported with the appropriate vaccine administration code (90460, 90471, 90472) with the EP modifier.

Click here to view the latest updates from Children's.

In this issue:

• Clinical updates: Virometer Report, Inhaler Substitution Chart
• Around Children’s: Emory Ranks in Top 5 for NIH Funding, Celebrating National Doctors’ Day, Rare Kids Receive Specialized Care at Children’s, Complex Behavior Support Program, Physician Opportunities at Children’s
• Upcoming events: Immunize Georgia Conference, Physician Outreach Webinar, Project ECHO, Child Protection Webinar Series, Professional Staff Town Hall, Annual Southeastern Pediatric Research Conference, New Horizons Conference
• Research highlight: First Drug to Help Reduce Allergic Reactions to Multiple Food Allergies, Tested at Children’s and Emory, Now FDA Approved 

TCCN is pleased to announce the signature of a new value-based program contract with Aetna. The value-based program includes all TCCN members. The agreement will have an effective date retroactive to January 1, 2024. More details will be forthcoming as we implement this new agreement.

The Georgia Composite Medical Board relaxed some teleprescribing rules during the COVID-19 pandemic. In December, 2023, the Board indicated that it would be removing some of those flexibilities as of January 1, 2024.  At its January 4, 2024, meeting, the Board deferred that action to May 1, 2024. Last week, the Board posted an additional press release, available at https://medicalboard.georgia.gov/press-releases/2024-01-10/board-extends-tele-prescribing-flexibility-until-may-1.  

Neither this press release nor the prior release clearly resolves all circumstances under which providers may prescribe or not prescribe without seeing the patient in person. In the meantime, media coverage further confused the question. TCCN is hopeful that the Board will address gaps and inconsistencies before May and will provide updates when available.

We are excited to build on last year’s momentum as we launch the 2024 TCCN Quality Program. We will continue to renew our commitment to excellence by focusing on moving the needle forward on quality improvement outcomes.

Click here to view details and requirements for this year's Quality Program.

For questions regarding TCCN Value Added Services, please reach out to

Barbara Douglas, TCCN Associate Director of Programs at Barbara.douglas@tccn-choa.org.

Please see below for important reminders for GSK Flu Returns:

• The returns window will open on March 4, 2024
• All eligible customers will receive an email on March 4th with their return eligibility and debit memo number - Email is sent to all active users and all aligned Reps on GSKDirect - One email will be sent per ship to account
• Return eligibility will be calculated at 15% in total across both Fluarix and Flulaval - GSKDirect will show by product, but eligibility will be based on the total

TCCN is excited to announce our Agreement with AstraZeneca for FluMist has been renewed for the 2024-2025 Season!

TCCN FluMist Purchasing Program offers practices upfront discounts for FluMist purchases. To receive the highest discount amount, practices must place their prebook orders by April 30, 2024 to lock in 14% prebook discount. If you prebook by April 30, 2024, then all future orders for this season will reflect 14% discount.

FluMist Pre-book Purchasing Program Options:

Click here for additional program details and instructions on how to pre-book orders by April 30th, 2024.

The TCCN Value Added Services Team is excited to announce a new Medical Supplies Purchasing Program with McKesson! TCCN and McKesson have entered into a multi-faceted program for all TCCN Community practices! Click here for more program details

Topic:

Physician Outreach Webinar Series: Treatment of Enuresis and Encopresis for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other Developmental Delays

Date:

March 12^th, 2024 from 12:00-1:00pm via Zoom

Speaker:

Colin Muething, PhD, BCBA-D

Description:

Join us for the monthly webinar series hosted by Children's Physician Outreach and the Physician Education department. This month Dr. Muething will be discussing the treatments of enuresis and encopresis for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental delays. The presentation will cover the how-to's of toilet training as well as present current research from our department on the success of the strategies for both urine and bowel movement training.

Click Here to Register for the Webinar

We wanted to update you about the fully-funded pediatric mental health training opportunity for providers in Georgia. Thanks to a generous donor, The REACH Institute is offering 70 more scholarships for their flagship course, the Patient-Centered Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care (PPP) program! 

This opportunity is available exclusively for primary care providers (pediatricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) practicing in Georgia and will take place May 3-5, 2024. 

We encourage providers to sign up as soon as possible because slots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Please check out the updated flyer with all the details. For questions, please email ppp@thereachinstitute.org.

Click Here to Register for the Program

As pediatricians increasingly play a critical role in “whole-child” care, they consistently identify a need to learn more about how to care for children with Behavioral and Mental Health (BMH) needs. Specifically, learning how to screen, when and how to treat, understanding the referral options and when it is appropriate to refer for specialty care. Providing BMH education to pediatricians stimulates confidence in their abilities to deliver care while allowing them to become more perceptive and resourceful in the process.

Registration is open now through April 16^th. Registration is open to primary care providers in the state of Georgia only. Active participation is required and participants are expected to present at minimum one case during the series.

Event Details:

Substance Related and Addictive Disorders Cohort sessions will take place every other Wednesday from 12:00pm – 1:00pm via Zoom. This series will be facilitated by Kayla Mays, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC.

• April 3rd: Introduction to Substance Use Disorders and Other Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders - Olu Osoba, MD and Gretchen Weeks, MSN, APRN, PNP-C, PMHNP-BC
• April 17th: SUD and the Impact of Trauma: Correlation Between Connection and Addiction Recovery - Tina Niziurski, LCSW
• May 1st: Conference Updates: Substance Use Disorder: A Comprehensive Review and Update 2024 Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Academy - John Gransbach, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC
• May 15th: Pharmacotherapy for Opioid Use Disorder and Other Disorders - Joe Mathias, MD
• May 29th: Legal and Social Aspects of Substance Use in Youth - Pauline Anderson, MSW, LCSW
• June 12th: Marijuana Use in Youth: Recent Epidemiology, Presentation, Treatment Strategies, and New Research - Darron Lewis, MD

This series will be limited to 35 participants due to the time constraints of case presentations. There will be an active waitlist so please add your name if the course is full and you will be contacted if you are able to join.

To register for this series, click here.

Project ECHO uses the online platform, Zoom, and participation in Project ECHO is free of charge. Participants will have the opportunity to earn CME and MOC Part II credits for their participation.

This cohort will meet every other Wednesday at lunchtime starting March 13^th for six sessions and will cover multiple facets of building resilience for the pediatric patient.

Registration is open now through March 26^th. Registration is open to primary care providers in the state of Georgia only. Active participation is required and participants are expected to present at minimum one case during the series.

Event Details:

Building Resilience cohort sessions will take place every other Wednesday from 12:00pm – 1:00pm via Zoom. This series will be facilitated by Erin Harlow-Parker, APRN, PMHCNS-BC. All sessions will be presented by Rachel Whaley, MSW.

· March 13th: Foundations of a Whole-Child Approach

· March 27th: Building Blocks of Resilience

· April 10th: Concepts to Support Emotional Development

· April 24th: Impact of Effective Communication

· May 8th: Strategies to Support Emotional Expression

· May 22nd: Strategies to Support Emotional Regulation

This series will be limited to 35 participants due to the time constraints of case presentations. There will be an active waitlist so please add your name if the course is full and you will be contacted if you are able to join.

To register for this series, click here.

Saturday, April 13, 2024, 7:00 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. (In Person)

Sunday, April 14, 2024, 7:30 a.m. - 12:40 p.m. (Virtual)

Location:

• Saturday (In person)

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Support Center, 1575 NE Expressway,

Atlanta, GA 30329

• Sunday (Virtual via Zoom)

Description:

The purpose of this conference is to update pediatric primary care and family Practitioners about the latest information regarding medical conditions that affect children and adolescents, and recommended treatment options.

Topics for the 2024 conference will include:

• Redbook Updates: Immunizations

• Orthopedics

• Dermatology

• AI Medicine

• Psychopharmacology

• Nephrology

• Rheumatology

• Emergency Medicine Workshop

Click here to register

Contact Melynda.baron@choa.org or visit choa.org/cme for more information.

Hosted by the Stephanie V Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children. This online training series features monthly webinars on a variety of topics related to child safety, protection, and child sex trafficking designed to keep professionals and community members up to date on legislation and research developments in child abuse, health, and trauma.

While certain trainings may cater to a specific field, such as healthcare or social work, most webinars are applicable to a variety of audiences. 

Sign up for the Child Protection Webinar Series.

The Stephanie V. Blank Center also offers four On-Demand webinars. To register, please click here.

On-Demand topics include:

• Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse in Georgia
• The Fundamentals of Child Sex Trafficking
• The Medical Evaluation of Victims of Child Sex Trafficking
• Moving Forward After Victimization: Helping Victims to Survive and Thrive

If you have any questions or need additional information, please visit our website at choa.org/cptraining or email us at cpctraining@choa.org.

HB458 was passed into Law in 2021 and was effective January 1, 2022 and requires that each physician complete a 2 hour course in “professional boundaries and sexual misconduct in medical practice” before renewing their GA medical license (this is a one-time requirement).  

TCCN’s Malpractice Carrier, Curi, has two 1 hour CME courses on “Sexual Misconduct” that fulfills the new GA license requirement for HB458. Please see instructions below on how to access.

Instructions:

• Login in to your Curi account at www.curi.com
• Click on your initials at the far top right of your screen. (Your initials will appear with a yellow circle around them)
• Select CME webinars
• There you will find two new CME activities- Patient Harassment and Sexual Harassment

If you are not part of TCCN’s Malpractice Program with Curi, please reach out to your malpractice carrier as they may have a class available as well. 

TCCN Requirements

• March 23rd Clinical Quality Forum Recording and Attestation - DEI Education and Meeting Attendance Requirement
• Effective August 1st: 2-Week Data Submission Requirement

TCCN Resources

• TCCN RSV Toolkit
• TCCN Seizure Action Plan
• Endocrinology Referral Guide
• Nephrology Referral Guideline
• 2023 TCCN OSHA Webinar Recording and Slides and Bloodborne Pathogens Test
• TCCN Webinar: New AAP Clinical Practice Guidelines for Obesity
• TCCN Pediatric Coding Seminar- Webinar Recording and slides
• TCCN Antibiotic Stewardship Webinar Series: Why It's Important for Your Practice and Patients:
• Webinar #1: How to Access and Use the Website
• Webinar #2: Prescribing Guide
• Webinar #3: Antibiotic Dosing: Maximize antibiotic adherence, limit wastage, and promote antibiotic stewardship
• TCCN Risk Management Webinar Recording and Presentation

Community Updates

• DPH Confirms Case of Measles in Atlanta Metro Area
• Moderna Pediatric COVID Vaccines Purchased on or After January 9, 2024 Now 100% Returnable
• Important Information About the Correct Dosage and Administration of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (2023-2024 Formula) for Individuals 6 Months Through 11 Years of Age
• DEA Requirement for All Providers - MATE Act FAQ and Resources
• Resilience and Emotional Wellness – Healthcare Training | Strong4Life
• The InFLUence of Vaccine Technology on Pediatric Influenza Outcomes
• URAC Clinical Integration Accreditation Announcement
• Bilirubin Level Testing and Phototherapy Vendors
• Antibiotic Alternatives Tip Sheet

We are here for you. Please reach out to your TCCN Provider Relations Representative contact@tccn-choa.org with any questions.