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January 26, 2023

In this issue

• Mandatory Education Reminder
• Supporting Your Practice
• Epic Updates
• CME



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.

This is an important way to reinforce safe practices and help ensure adherence to laws, regulations and policies.

• As a reminder, all courses have been assigned in Workday Extended Enterprise Learning and must be completed by June 19. APP physicians and APCs must also complete the Safety and Respect Compliance for Managed Care Plans 2023 course, in alignment with regulatory requirements.
• Upon access to the platform choose the ‘Local Workday’ option and enter your User ID and password when prompted.
• For login assistance, including password resets and updating email preferences, contact APP Network Management.

Clinical Integration updates: View the latest program update, including 2022 appeals open to submit via ECL Feb. 6-24. 

Patient outreach: We are conducting patient outreach on your behalf to support quality outcomes and close quality care gaps. Read more.

Complete course for IDDSI: All physicians are recommended to complete the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) course by Feb. 16 to ensure preparedness with new guidelines for patients with dysphagia. Watch the course and prepare for these practice changes today.

Medication Management Update: We continue to look at ways to reduce variation to improve outcomes and the value of care we deliver. As previously announced, a review was conducted across the organization in Illinois and Wisconsin to identify opportunities to decrease utilization of high-cost medications, when clinically appropriate, and use less costly options that support the same patient outcomes. Effective Jan. 1, four medications are impacted. Learn more.

Tixagevimab/cilgavimab (Evusheld): No Longer Authorized for Use in the U.S.

• Evusheld was previously authorized under emergency use authorization (EUA) for pre-exposure prophylaxis against COVID in patients with moderate to severe immune compromise or those who cannot receive COVID vaccines due to contraindications (including pediatrics individuals 12 years of age and older weighing at least 40kg).
• The U.S. FDA announced on Jan. 26, Evusheld is not currently authorized for use in the U.S. This is because Evusheld is no longer expected to be active against circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2.
• Accordingly, and effective immediately, ordering of Evusheld for all Advocate sites is paused. Please read this SBAR for more information.

COVID vaccine update: Select Advocate sites that have been offering the Moderna COVID vaccine to patients 18 and older will now start administering to ages 12 and older.

New Best Possible Medication History user guide documents: The Best Possible Medication History user guides and Reconcile Outside Information user guide has been revamped for hospital-based, pharmacy, ambulatory care and continuing health. A new recommended education module is available in Workday titled Best Possible Medication History (BPMH) Using Reconcile Outside Information (ROI). View SBAR.

Advancing Research:  

• Researchers study potential first treatment to slow aortic stenosis
• Clinical trial tests drug for chronic inflammatory esophagus disorder
• Investigators directly compare two FDA-approved pulmonary embolism treatments

Disable In Basket Auto-Advance settings in Epic Connect, if needed: With the recent Epic upgrade, there was a change in the Epic In Basket that enabled Auto Advance in several folders, including Staff Message, Patient Call and CC’d Charts. This is causing recent patient safety issues as messages are being marked as seen, even if they haven’t been. We’ve worked with Epic to reinstate the pre-upgrade settings in these three folders. This means if you had Auto Advance allowed before, it is still allowed, but if you had turned it off, it will turn back off. For those who still need to disable Auto Advance, please follow these steps.

Epic Update - Ambulatory Epic Connect: Diagnosis mismatch visit claim topic, visit type update and more.

Epic Update - Hospital edition for Physicians and APCs: Medication reconciliation and MAR holds, results review new scrollbar, new order pathway for stress testing and more.

Continuing Medical Education

16th Annual Prevention to Cure Symposium

Feb. 8, 8:55 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

This year’s symposium will include novel and foundational heart disease prevention strategies, updated diagnostic guidelines and treatment options for patients with heart disease utilizing current heart disease research trial topics and findings. The symposium will be available virtually and in-person at Advocate Christ Medical Center and offers internists ABIM MOC credit.

Upcoming CME



Feb. 1: Get Climate Smart | Rising temperatures

Feb. 1: Ethics of end-of-life care in Muslim patients

Feb. 7: MEDtalks: Advancing health equity – Uncontrolled hypertension

Feb. 8: 16^th Annual Prevention to Cure Symposium (In-person/virtual)

Feb. 16: MEDtalks: The past, present and future of structural imaging

Feb. 20: Get Climate Smart | Vector borne diseases 

March 1: Get Climate Smart | Extreme weather  

March 11: New Developments in Cardiology (In-person/virtual)

March 17: 3^rd Annual Multidisciplinary Critical Care Symposium (In-person/virtual)

March 20: Get Climate Smart | Communication with patients 

March 25: 23^rd Annual Cardiovascular Disease Symposium (In-person only/ABIM MOC credit)