December 21, 2022

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Thank you all again for your hard work! We recently announced the significant improvement with our Anthem contracted measure of Appropriate Testing for Children with Pharyngitis where we demonstrated to Anthem that 84% of non-compliant patients, although attributed to a TCCN provider, were not in fact seen by a TCCN provider. Not only did our investigation show that our network providers have been doing a great job with this measure, but it also provided us with valuable perspective on ways that your practices might better communicate with parents and leverage your services to reduce urgent/emergency services and thereby the inappropriate use of antibiotics and spread of sickness.

Highlight: Please keep up the improvement and thank you for helping TCCN investigate important data.

We want to keep up this momentum! Please review the updated Anthem program flyer with more details about the measures and potential for incentive payments. We will send out updated versions of the flyer every two months to reflect our current network performance. We have also included a measure definition sheet that outlines the parameters and coding requirements of each measure as well as Anthem's coding guidelines for these measures. 

As a reminder, we share measure scorecards bi-monthly for these Anthem measures: 

• Appropriate Testing for Pharyngitis
• Well Child 3-6 years

As a network we aim to improve our performance on these metrics. To do this we need your help. Please review each scorecard linked above. A secret number is listed for your practice. If you do not recall your practice’s secret number please reach out to us at contact@tccn-choa.org.

We are asking you to review your practice’s performance in each measure and discuss opportunities within your team. If you would like a list of your patients that are included in the measure please let us know. We can send you a secure message. 

If your practice is highlighted in orange, it is because your practice has not met the minimum target for the measure. Our goal is to have all practices meeting the minimum target. In some cases you may not have enough patients for a statistically relevant sample size (10 or more) patients, and we understand you may not be able to achieve the target.  

If you have any questions about the Anthem Quality Program, please reach out to us at contact@tccn-choa.org.

Your feedback is incredibly helpful as we plan for our asthma program for the coming year. Please take 5 minutes to complete the following survey to help us tailor our programming to the needs of the network and the patients you serve.

TCCN Asthma Survey

As a follow-up to our Spring Clinical Quality Forum focused on allergy testing, we will periodically distribute educational resources from our partners in CPG Allergy and Immunology. Additional FAQs were provided in the April and September editions of Quality Steps.

These handouts have been developed which can be shared with your patients who need allergy care:

• Allergy and Immunology visit guidance
• How to lower the chance of your baby getting a food allergy
• Eczema teaching sheet

Please share these resources with your patients and let us know if you have any feedback!

The holidays are upon us, but even as we continue through this busy season, please don't forget to submit your claims data through CorePoint! As previously communicated in July, all primary care practices are required to submit claims within 14 calendar days so that we can maintain accurate data to drive our programming and demonstrate the great quality of our practices.

We wish you all a safe and happy holiday season with family and friends, and thank you for all you have done this year!

Are you unsure how to handle potential child abuse and neglect cases that you encounter in your practice? The team at the Stephanie V Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children at Children’s is here to help. The Blank Center sees patients referred to them by community providers to conduct full assessments for suspected child physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. To make a patient referral, please click here to complete the patient referral form. If you have questions about making a referral, please call 404-785-3833. If you would like to arrange a presentation for your staff, please contact your physician liaison to make arrangements to have the team from the Blank Center present to your staff.

Siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to have developmental delays, speech problems, and autism. To help monitor and mitigate those concerns, Marcus Autism Center has created a new clinic specifically to meet the needs of these children. Children ages 6 months to 24 months who are the siblings of children with ASD qualify for this clinic.

Please download the flyer linked here and share this opportunity with any families of children eligible for this clinic. For more information, please contact Stormi White, PsyD and Natalie Brane, CCC-SLP at MarcusBabySiblings@choa.org or 404.785.8501.

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

TCCN Requirements

• June 2022 TCCN State of the Union Recording and Attestation
• Spring 2022 Clinical Quality Forum Recording and Attestation
• Effective August 1st: 2-Week Data Submission Requirement

TCCN Resources

• TCCN COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit
• TCCN COVID-19 Diagnosis and Isolation Algorithm
• Endocrinology Referral Guide
• Nephrology Referral Guideline
• OSHA Training Webinar Link, Meeting Slides, and End of Course Test

Community Updates

• ED and Outpatient Volume Surge and Fever Teaching Sheet
• Monkeypox Community Practice Tip Sheet and CDC Page for Healthcare Workers
• Bilirubin Level Testing and Phototherapy Vendors
• Formula Shortage Resources
• Children's Urgent Care Locations, Hours, and Scope Updates
• COVID-19 Ag Test Recall Notice

Flu Season Resources:

• Flu education for families
• CDC Flu recommendations for children and high-risk populations
• Vaccination Guidance During a Pandemic developed by the CDC
• Asthma Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Flu Testing Algorithm
• Flu and COVID-19 Testing Algorithm

We are here for you. Please reach out to contact@tccn-choa.org with any questions.