This is an internal Advocate Aurora Health newsletter and safe to open. Use Chrome for best viewing. | |
In this issue
- Medical Director Announcements
- Survey Deadlines
- Global Contrast Shortage Update
- Epic Updates
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Note: When accessing APP Pro links below, you may need to sign in again if you are not taken directly to the referenced page or information.
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Message from Jim
Watch Jim's video for a report card check-in, COVID-19 updates and more on our plans to combine with Atrium Health.
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Reflection
The tragedy in Texas is undoubtedly weighing on all of our hearts and minds. As we mourn the victims and pray alongside their loved ones, the caregiver in each of us can only imagine the horror they are experiencing. And as advocates for the safety and well-being of our patients, communities and team members, it’s heartbreaking to see these tragedies repeated throughout our country.
In the coming days and weeks, we will continue to evaluate all the ways we can best collaborate with other health systems, community partners and professional organizations to best support our purpose of helping people live well. Whether it is accelerating our mental health initiatives, amplifying our gun safety education or looking for new channels to enhance violence prevention—we are committed to do our part to help put an end to these senseless tragedies.
Advocate Aurora stands united and committed to doing all we can to create solutions and address this public health crisis.
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APP Medical Director Announcements
As shared last month, we are making changes to our APP Medical Director structure to accommodate the changing population health environment. Below are our latest announcements as part of this process
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Christ PHO
Chandrarekha Kaza, MD has been appointed PHO Medical Director of Christ PHO. Dr. Kaza has over 25 years of primary care experience in
clinical practice serving patients in Palos Hills and nearby communities. She has worked as an employed physician within APP and has achieved top Clinical Risk Adjustment (CRA) and Clinical Integration scores consecutively for several years.
We want to thank Eugene Muzykansky, MD, who has served as the Christ PHO Medical Director since 2017 and Prashant Deshpande, MD who has served as the Pediatric Medical Director and Associate PHO Medical Director since 2011.They both have worked with the field operations team to drive performance in key areas, including utilization, quality, and other population health initiatives. Transition plans are underway.
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Advocate Physician Partners
Yasser Said, MD has been appointed Population Health Medical Director for Pediatrics, effective August 28th, 2022. Dr. Said has practiced Hospitalist medicine for children and adults for thirteen years. Read full announcement.
Michael (Mike) Logan, MD has been appointed Population Health Medical Director for Care Management. Dr. Logan is an Emergency Medicine physician and serves on the Good Samaritan Hospital PHO Board and ACI subcommittees, and he is on the Good Samaritan Peer Review Performance Improvement Committee focused on improving PHO physicians QI scores and engagement. Read full announcement.
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Supporting your Practice
Clinical Integration weekly update: View the latest program update.
Patient Outreach: We are conducting patient outreach on your behalf to support quality outcomes and close quality care gaps. Read more.
Global contrast shortage update: We are beginning to ease some restrictions as we’re pleased to share that non-ionic contrast production at the GE manufacturing plan in China now stands at 65% of prior capacity with targets of reaching 75% by end of this week. Click here to review the latest update.
REMINDER: Medicaid survey due May 30: The State of Illinois and the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans (IAMHP) requires submission of detailed accessibility information for each practice location submitted on rosters to IAMHP associated payers. APP is required to collect and track this data to be compliant with our payer contracts. Please complete the Practice Location Accessibility Information survey for each of your practice locations that are part of the APP Network. Access the survey here.
REMINDER: Practice Group Survey due June 15: Due to State of Illinois mandates and payer reporting requirements, APP is required to gather the following pieces of data regarding your overall Practice Group: Telehealth / Telemedicine Services, Practice Website, Practice Taxonomy Codes, BEP / MBE / WBE certification, EMR Information, and Practice Signature Authorities. APP is required to collect and track this data to be compliant with our payer contracts. Only one survey needs to be completed by each Practice Group. Please complete the Practice Group survey. Access the survey here.
Illinois Health Care Surrogate Act and POLST Update: Important Form Reminder: A law has been passed enabling qualified health care practitioners outside of Illinois caring for Illinois residents to sign POLST Illinois forms. Advocate Aurora physicians, APCs and team members should continue to use the existing POLST form and continue to include a witness signature until a new form is released.
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Updated COVID-19 Booster Guidance: The CDC authorized a booster dose of Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, at least five months after completion of the primary vaccine series. Read more.
Reminder: Masking policy: As COVID-19 cases are on the rise, the Advocate Aurora Health masking policy remains in effect for the safety of our teams, patients and visitors to prevent transmissions.
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In Advocate Aurora hospitals, clinics and other health care settings, everyone over the age of two continues to be required to wear a mask. Those unable to safely wear a mask due to health reasons are permitted to enter once they have been screened and receive a sticker indicating approval of entry. On-site meeting rooms, classrooms, auditoriums and zen dens may be mask optional and without capacity limits, provided they are in non-patient care areas and non-public passages of the facility.
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In Advocate Aurora non-health care locations, such as office buildings, masking is NOT required, unless specified by the building ownership, in which case on-site signage will provide direction. Masking continues to be recommended for those who are unvaccinated or immunocompromised.
Aerosol Generating Procedure (AGP) update: AGP practice guidelines have been updated advising that low to moderate risk AGPs will not need to follow the air exchange protocol, only AGPs defined as high risk will need to follow that protocol.
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Advocate Aurora Health Updates
Reminder: Next Epic upgrade June 15: Please see this overview for enhancements going live on June 15. A new Epic toolset for advance care planning will also launch on this date. Clinical end user education begins June 1. Watch for updates. View these key updates:
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Epic Results Review activity: Many significant visual changes and tools will be implemented to improve efficiency in reviewing test results. Education is highly recommended to ensure a smooth transition. Please see this brief video, powerpoint and quick start guide.
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New Advance Care Planning Epic Toolset: We are launching a standardized Epic tool set for advance care planning, advance directives, decision-making capacity and substitute decision makers. Training will be included in Epic upgrade education. View PDF overview on how this will impact your work. Reminder: Use notes “.acpgoc”,“.dmcnote” & “.sdmnote” to support documentation.
Reminder: Epic In Basket Clean-up: Like your Outlook inbox, managing your Epic In Basket can be time consuming and the volume of messages can be overwhelming. We’re supporting you by applying automatic rules to certain In Basket messages, including:
- Expiration dates
- Removing old messages
- Automatic closure of encounters
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Epic Connect Practice Updates
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Advancing Research
What your patients should know about being in a clinical trial
Research Institute President Amit Acharya, PhD, penned an op-ed celebrating International Clinical Trials Day, stressing the importance of clinical trial participation, addressing common concerns and misconceptions about clinical trials, and highlighting specific clinical trials that are enrolling at our
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New Classes & Events Platform for Consumers is Live
With our mobile-first strategy, we’ve launched a systemwide experience for consumers registering for Advocate Aurora and wellness classes and events. The digital launch features enhancements to the registration experience, improved search, robust reporting and analytics, transition to a single payment process and more.
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Continuing Medical Education and Events | |
3rd Annual Structural Heart Disease Conference
Wednesday, June 1 | 6 – 8:15 p.m.
Learn from our guest speakers the clinical guidelines, procedural tips, techniques and challenges during structural heart disease procedures. Plus, hear the most recent innovations and future direction of structural interventions.
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CME Website: Webinars & Recordings | |
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