A Message from Shelly Voet, MD
February 20, 2022
Dear Community PCPs,
Thanks for taking the time to read Synapse. This issue has a strong focus on educational events, including a CPS Intensive course on breastfeeding, a concussion live event, and Grand Rounds on vaccine hesitancy. There is also a note from our new CCHMC Medical Staff president, Dr. Elena Duma.
Here is a summary of other relevant news:
EPIC LINK - For those of you who use Epic Link, please review the article about the upcoming requirement for 2-Factor Authentication (2FA) effective March 1. Our CPAC physicians and their practices have been using 2FA for several months now and it has been straightforward.
E-Consult – This is one of the benefits of using Epic Link. E-Consult allows non-urgent, secure, electronic CLINICAL contact with a division. It complements the more urgent PPL system. Your consult (clinical question) should be answered within 3 business days. Both PCPs and faculty who have used it agree it is a nice option for patient care coordination. For a tip sheet or video on E-Consult, log on to Epic Link and click the “Home” button on the top left of the screen.
Community Practice Support Tools - We would appreciate if you can take this quick 3 question survey about how you access the tools HERE.
Hospital Medicine - Our CPAC group is continuing to work with Hospital Medicine on the Direct Admission process. We appreciate those of you who have reached out this month as we work together to ensure the process is as safe and efficient as possible. We encourage anyone with concerns about the process to reach out directly to HM faculty member Michelle Parker.
Formula recall – Abbot has recalled certain cans of Similac, Alimentum, and Elecare powdered formulas this week. Please share this recall information LINK with your patients.
COVID-19 – Those of us in pediatrics have been able to take a breath over the last couple weeks as cases from Omicron have decreased. We recognize, however, that while hospitalizations, and now deaths have started to decrease, our regional adult ICUs are still under strain. We are also seeing hotspots of cases in nearby areas in KY. At the same time, we are continuing to learn about the effectiveness of vaccinations in children and teens. Another recent report from MMWR summarized pediatric hospitalization data from 14 states from July 2021 to Jan 2022 (Delta and Omicron). Adolescents over 12 who were unvaccinated had 6 times the rate of hospitalization compared to those who were fully vaccinated. There is still much work to be done. Nationally, as of this week 24.4% of 5-11 year olds are fully vaccinated and 57% of 12-17 year olds (CDC data). To that end, physician outreach and marketing at CCHMC have continued to produce materials you can share in your practice to encourage vaccination. Ohio Medicaid plans have also provided support for Medicaid participants HERE.
Best,
Shelly Voet MD, Pediatric Associates PSC
CCHMC Executive Community Physician Leader