American Academy of Pediatrics

Federal Judge Upholds New York City Policy For Unvaccinated Children

The New York Times (6/23/14, Mueller, Subscription Publication) reports that Judge William F. Kuntz II of Federal District Court in Brooklyn upheld a New York City policy prohibiting unimmunized students from attending public school if another student carries a vaccine-preventable condition.  He “ruled against three families who claimed that their right to free exercise of religion was violated when their children were kept from school, sometimes for a month at a time, because of the city’s immunization policies.”  He also wrote in his ruling that the Supreme Court has “strongly suggested that religious objectors are not constitutionally exempt from vaccinations.”

Physicians, Please Take Note

MSSNY has learned that OPMC will begin to take action against a handful of physicians who have not updated their physician profiles as required by law.  We are advised that the DOH has made numerous attempts to speak with these physicians through regular notices and personal calls.  Since their last call to these physicians, more than sixty days have passed without these physicians taking the required action.

If you haven’t yet updated your physician profile please do so immediately!  For more information and to update your profile, click here.

AAP EBCD Training and Education Modules Are Now Available!

The AAP Early Brain and Child Development (EBCD) Leadership Workgroup is pleased to announce the availability of 5 new training and education modules for pediatricians and other health care providers. These modules provide key information and resources on the following early brain development topics:

• Module 1: Building Better Brains – The Core Story of EBCD
• Module 2: Toxic Stress – Why Environment Matters
• Module 3: Adverse Childhood Experiences – What Happens Early can Change Lives
• Module 4: Supporting Parents and Cultivating Community Relationships
• Module 5: EBCD Advocacy – An Opportunity to Change Childhood Outcomes

These modules are freely accessible and are designed to be flexible and adaptable to a variety of training needs, both for individual learners and group presentations.

To access these modules, visit www.aap.org/ebcd.

NYS HIV Testing Law

Revised, May, 2014.

Preparing for ICD-10

ICD-10-CM will be implemented on October 1, 2014.  The change will not only bring a new code set, but also a new set of clinical terms and required documentation.   The AAP Committee on Coding and Nomenclature (COCN) has been dedicated to the initiative of developing pediatric-specific ICD-10-CM materials and resources for members as well as identifying existing resources from leading organizations such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

As it is vital that members and their office staff are made fully aware that the transition is coming, COCN has worked extensively with AAP staff from the Department of Practice and the Department Marketing and Publications to develop a suite of new publications, including the Principles of ICD-10-CM Coding and ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM Pediatric Coding Crosswalk.

Additionally, since January 2012, there has been a regular column in our AAP Pediatric Coding Newsletter titled “Transitioning to Ten.”

The 2014 Coding for Pediatrics manual features ICD-10-CM codes wherever ICD-9-CM codes are referenced.   In August 2013, a Coding at the AAP portal website was launched by AAP staff, which features a wide array of coding resources (both from the AAP and from external sources) including a section devoted exclusively to ICD-10-CM.

COCN will host two more this year to assist members and their staff in dealing with the coding transition.  A CD-ROM was created that is available for purchase through the AAP Bookstore for the introduction to ICD-10-CM webinar that was done in June 2013.  The Section on Administration and Practice Management (SOAPM) has provided a webinar addressing practice management issues in preparation for the transition.

Most recently, our dedicated ICD-10-CM page has been placed on the home page of AAP.org as well as on MyAAP.org.   CMS has an e-Health University that has a lot of resources.  Information can be viewed at http://www.cms.gov/eHealth/eHealthUniversity.html.

National Institute CME Courses

The number of prescriptions filled for opioid pain relievers has increased dramatically, leading the CDC to identify prescription drug abuse a problem of “epidemic” proportions.  To better equip family physicians, pediatricians, and other health professionals against this crisis, the National Institute on Drug Abuse offers two free online CMEs/CEs:

1. Safe Prescribing for Pain (1.25 credits) teaches the prevalence of prescription opioid abuse and explores ways to effectively screen for and prevent abuse in patients with pain.
2. Managing Pain Patients Who Abuse Rx Drugs (1.75 credits) identifies the prevalence of opioid addiction and dependence in patients with chronic pain, and assists health care providers in identifying emerging abuse behaviors.

New York’s Health Benefit Exchange

The New York Health Plan Marketplace opened on October 1, 2013.  For more information, view the Webinar or the Powerpoint presentation.  See the announcement of the Marketplace’s name, New York State of Health.

Advocacy Day
March 19, 2014

Assemblyman Richard Gottfried	Assemblyman Kemp Hannon
Danielle Laraque, MD, District Chair	Elie Ward, Director of Policy and Advocacy

Announcing the NEW GeneticsinPrimaryCare.org!

The Genetics in Primary Care Institute is pleased to announce the launch of their new Web site, GeneticsinPrimaryCare.org. This site houses practical tools and information for pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) regarding genetics and genomics, genetic testing, family history, genetic counseling, and patient communication. Visit our Provider Education page for resources, webinars, and live educational activities, including the upcoming Dive into the Gene Pool Conference. Explore the role of pediatric primary care providers in the provision of genetic medicine with the new Genetic Medicine & Primary Care Infographic.

Additional informational resources include:

• Video testimonials from experts providing insight and a variety of perspectives on genetic-related topics including genetic testing, family history, and genetic counseling.
• The What’s New page provides visitors with current and recently released policy statements, articles, online resources, and events
• The archived Time Out for Genetics webinar series is housed in the Provider Education section of the site and provides 30 minute overviews on genetic topics relevant to pediatric primary care providers. Each webinar in this series has a companion fact sheet that offers a brief summary of the information presented in each webinar.
• The 2013 Integrating Genetics into Your Practice webinar series is scheduled to kick off on June 6 at 12pm Central with the first webinar on Family History in Primary Care. Registration for these 60-minute educational webinars will be available on the GPCI Webinars page of the site in the coming weeks.
• Within the Patient Management and Guidelines page there are a number of resources available for PCPs to access and utilize in their everyday practice including a list of management guidelines for patients with genetic and genetic-related conditions, a “How-To” handout on building a genetic patient registry, and guides on the creation of both emergency and transition plans
• Pediatricians are invited to participate in a cutting edge conference, Dive into the Gene Pool: Integrating genetics and genomics into your pediatric primary care practice, to be held on August 9-10 in Chicago. Visit www.pedialink.org/cmefinder to Dive into the Gene Pool this summer!

New Children’s Electronic Health Record Format Announced

A new database developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality with support from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can help software developers create better Electronic Health Records (EHRs) for the care of children.  The children’s EHR format establishes a blueprint for EHRs to better meet the needs of health care providers and pediatric patients by combining best-practices in clinical care, information technology, and insights from experts in children’s health.  Since few EHRs have been created with children’s needs in mind, gaps in functionality, data elements and other areas tend to occur.  The format guides EHR developers in understanding the requirements for functionality, data standards, usability and interoperability of an EHR system to more optimally support the provision of health care to children – especially those enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).  The format is readily accessible and adoptable by EHR developers for use during product development or enhancement.

In addition to providing guidance to developers, the format can provide guidance for EHR system purchasers and policy makers.  For example, policy makers and purchasers can use the requirements when assessing functionality of EHRs. For more information or to access the format, select: http://healthit.ahrq.gov/childehrFormat.

New York Initiative for Children of Incarcerated Parents

Letter from District II to Governor Cuomo regarding Gun Control (Posted January 17, 2013)

The Department of Health is pleased to announce the release of the New York State Medicaid Managed Care Information Website, developed in partnership with the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

This initial phase of the website release is intended to provide easy access for members and providers looking for information on the drugs and supplies covered by different Medicaid and Family Health Plus managed care health plans.   In the near future, the Department plans to release phase two of the project, which will allow interactive comparison of coverage searches.   The Pharmacy Benefit Information Website is available at: http://pbic.nysdoh.suny.edu

Restrictions on Requiring Disclosure of Social Security Numbers:  Effective December 12, 2012, as per N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 399-ddd, healthcare providers, among others, are prohibited from requiring an individual to disclose or furnish his or her social security number (SSN), as well as from refusing any service, privilege or right as a result of an individual’s refusal to disclose or furnish such number, unless an exception applies.  Such exceptions include when the individual consents to the acquisition or use of his or her SSN, when the SSN is expressly required by federal, state or local law or regulation, or when the SSN is requested for purposes of internal verification, tax compliance, employment, credit transactions or is requested by an authorized insurer for the purpose of furnishing information to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  In light of the new rule, healthcare providers who require patients to furnish SSNs should review their policies and remember to implement appropriate safeguards to protect such information.  To review the amended law and all exceptions, go to: http://ow.ly/frB2Y.

Louis Cooper, MD, FAAP

Louis Z. Cooper, M.D., FAAP was awarded the AAP’s 2012 Abraham Jacoby Award in recognition of a pediatrician who has made long-term notable contributions to pediatrics nationally in teaching, patient care and/or clinical research.Dr. Cooper, an AAP past president (2001-’02) and past President of District II, is a professor emeritus of pediatrics at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University and chair emeritus of pediatrics at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York.  He has served on numerous governmental, AAP and state medical society advisory bodies.  At Bellevue Hospital, Dr. Cooper created the Rubella Project, a vaccine research program that evolved into a multidisciplinary team dedicated to defining and resolving the rubella problem.  This project enabled Dr. Cooper to translate scientific information into public policy, legislation and program building in health, education and social services.

New Yorkers speak out for justice:  Governor Cuomo has proposed legislation to create the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs, which will give New York State the strongest standards and practices in the nation for protecting people with special needs and disabilities.   [Click here for more...]

AAP, District II, NYS formally supports New York City’s Initiative in Support of Breastfeeding.  The New York City initiative tracks with AAP policy supporting breastfeeding for all healthy babies and mothers. [Click here for more...]

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