October 17, 2023

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Dear Colleagues,

We continue to experience critical capacity challenges at Children's due to continued RSV and other viral surges.

Unfortunately, we are not alone, as other regional children’s hospitals (Macon, Augusta, UAB and TC Thompson in Chattanooga) have similar capacity issues, making potential transfers out of our system very challenging.

We are asking for physicians and providers to avoid sending patients for direct admission, particularly through the Emergency Departments (EDs). Please utilize the Children’s Transfer Center (404-785-7778) for acceptance of admissions and for transfers of patients for more urgent treatment. You will be connected with Emergency Medicine physicians to provide more information. Please let families know that wait times in our EDs are prolonged in current state and that boarding times have exceeded 6 – 12 hours without bed placement.

Click here to read the full announcement.

Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids® providers now have until Oct. 31, 2023 to revalidate enrollment in order to avoid any disruption in the provision of care to patients.  

Click here for more information and instructions to log-in to GAMMIS.

Starting October 17, VFC providers will now be able to request COVID-19 vaccines via GRITS.  The survey link that was previously used to request COVID-19 vaccines has been deactivated and will no longer be used to request COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Providers will need to update their COVID-19 vaccine preferences in GRITS. 

Changing Vaccine Preferences in GRITS:

• Log in to GRITS.
• Click on the Manage Inventory menu option in the blue panel to the left.
• Click on the Show Inventory button.
• Click on the Count Inventory button.
• Click on the Set Preferences button.
• Change your vaccine preference from previous vaccine preference to new vaccine preference then click save.

For COVID-19 vaccines requested in GRITS, facilities will need to accept the transfer in GRITS once the shipment arrives.

If you have any questions about ordering COVID-19 vaccines for your VFC eligible clients, please contact the VFC program at 1.800.848.3868 or dph-gavfc@dph.ga.gov.

The CDC has approved that the temporary authorization of bi-directional COVID-19 vaccine and nirsevimab borrowing for the 2023-2024 respiratory vaccine season.  Doses for COVID-19 and nirsevimab must be replaced within 30 days.  

Click here to view the bi-directional COVID-19 vaccine and nirsevimab borrowing policy. 

We understand that there are a lot of questions about the RSV vaccine. For babies there is an immunization from Sanofi called Beyfortus. At the same time, Pfizer has the Maternal RSV Vaccine to be given to pregnant women. Below is information from Pfizer that we wanted to share.

Pfizer’s Vaccines US Medical Affairs team is providing brief educational webinars entitled Pfizer RSV Vaccine - A New Maternal Indication. These live sessions will be conducted on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays starting October 3, 2023. Additional live sessions may be added, so check the website for the latest schedule. On demand content will be available soon.

Session topics include:

• RSV burden of disease in infants
• Mechanism of Maternal Immunization
• ACIP Recommendations and Clinical Considerations
• Clinical Trial Data: Safety and Efficacy
• Question and answer session.

Click on the following link for the live schedule and other educational resources:

RSV Vaccine Educational Webinars led by Pfizer Vaccines US Medical Affairs

Thank you to all who joined us last month for our annual OSHA training event. If you missed the live webinar or would like a replay, the following resources are now available to view:

• Click here to view the video recording
• Click here to view the slides
• Click here to view the included Bloodborne Pathogens Test

Asthma Flu Recall lists were distributed through secure emails to practices last month. Please use this list as a tool to help you start recall efforts early for the upcoming flu season. The flu vaccine continues to be one of the best ways to help provide the greatest protection possible against the flu and other communicable diseases, especially for vulnerable populations including Asthmatics.

If you have any questions about your Flu recall list, please reach out to Laura Baldwin at laura.baldwin@tccn-choa.org. 

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

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

Resources available for practices who participate in the TCCN GSK Program: 



• Quick Guide to GSK Flu Delivery
• Ordering Information with GSK Flu
• 2023-2024 Price Sheet

Please reach out to Barbara Douglas at barbara.douglas@tccn-choa.org or your GSK Rep if you have any questions.

TCCN and McKesson are pleased to announce a special buying program for the Welch Allyn SPOT Vision Screener. This program is only available to TCCN Members through McKesson. Please see the brochure here for additional information.

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

The program is dedicated to Dr. Donald Schaffner, who was well known for his love of children, dedication to his profession and lifetime achievement in the field of pediatric surgery.

In Recognition of Daniel Salinas, MD

Event Details:

Tuesday, November 8, 2023

8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Event will be offered as a Hybrid event with an in-person and virtual format.

Participants will select during registration their preference for attending, either in-person or virtually.

Location:

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite

1001 Johnson Ferry Rd. NE

Atlanta, GA 30329

Main Auditorium

Physician Continuing Education:  Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is accredited by the Medical Association of Georgia to provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians.

Children's designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

On September 11, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the supplemental Biologics License Application (COMIRNATY^® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA)) for individuals 12 years and older, and granted emergency use authorization for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (2023-2024 Formula) for individuals 6 months through 11 years of age for the companies’ Omicron XBB.1.5-adapted monovalent COVID-19 vaccine.

Pfizer’s Vaccines US Medical Affairs team is providing training webinars on the updated COVID-19 vaccines.

Click on the following link for the training schedule:

COVID-19 Vaccine Training Webinars led by Pfizer Vaccines US Medical Affairs

Topic:

Physician Outreach Webinar Series: Asthma Guidelines Update

Date:

October 31st, 2023 from 12:00-1:00pm via Zoom

Speaker:

Matthew Hazen, MD

Description:

Register here

Join us for the monthly webinar series hosted by Children's Physician Outreach and the Physician Education department. This month, Dr. Hazen will be covering updates to the asthma guidelines.

Free virtual training for TCCN primary care physicians in 2024!

This is an excellent opportunity for TCCN members to get free training in pediatric mental health. An Atlanta donor has granted the REACH Institute an opportunity to allow free training for the Patient-Centered Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care (PPP) program,

The PPP Program trains clinicians to diagnose and treat pediatric mental health conditions including ADHD, anxiety, depression and other common disorders seen in everyday practice.

Upcoming dates for this training in 2024 are:

• January 19-21, 2024
• February 2-4, 2024

For More Information About the Program Click Here.

Participants will earn a maximum of 29.75 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM for completing this program.

Click Here to Submit an Online Application for the Program

In 2022 we launched an MOC program for our subspecialty members based on the ABP’s Roadmap project designed to bring additional awareness and training to providers around emotional, behavioral, and mental health.

This training is available to all providers regardless of specialty, and you can watch the 5-minute introductory video here and review more details about the program here including instructions on how to claim MOC credit.

Additional Training Available:

Cincinnati Children’s Grand Rounds: Addressing the Emotional Health of Children and Youth with Chronic Conditions and Their Families

Physicians are eligible to receive ABP MOC Part 2 credit by viewing Grand Rounds and completing a short online post-test.

The Roadmap Project maintains a website (www.roadmapforemotionalhealth.org/patients-and-families) with additional resources.

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. 

In Case You Missed It (please use the links below to review)

TCCN Requirements

• 2023 Primary Care Quality Program Attestation
• March 23rd Clinical Quality Forum Recording and Attestation - DEI Education and Meeting Attendance Requirement
• Effective August 1st: 2-Week Data Submission Requirement

TCCN Resources

• Top 5 Cyber Mistakes Medical Practices Must Avoid
• TCCN Seizure Action Plan
• TCCN COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit
• TCCN COVID-19 Diagnosis and Isolation Algorithm
• Endocrinology Referral Guide
• Nephrology Referral Guideline
• 2023 Pediatric Coding Seminar Recording and Slides (Color and Black & White)

Community Updates

• FDA Notice: Recall on 4.2% Sodium Bicarbonate Injection, USP and 1% and 2% Lidocaine HCl Injection, USP by Hospira Products
• FDA Provides Updated Recommendations for Certain O&M Halyard Surgical N95 Respirators, Surgical Masks, and Pediatric Face Masks
• Georgia Smoke-free Air Act
• Children’s to Decommission Physician Portal: Explore Frequently Used Links
• Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA)
• 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
• FDA Updates Prescribing Information on all opiod pain medicines
• ED and Outpatient Volume Surge, Fever Teaching Sheet, and Jan 2023 Update
• Bilirubin Level Testing and Phototherapy Vendors
• Formula Shortage Resources
• Children's Urgent Care Locations, Hours, and Scope Updates
• COVID-19 Ag Test Recall Notice
• DPH Letter re: Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine Requirement
• FDA MedWatch: Do Not Use Infant Head Shaping Pillows
• FDA Update to Medical Device Shortage List
• Antibiotic Alternatives Tip Sheet
• Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Continuing Medical Education Platform

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