Doctor’s Note: January Newsletter Introduction from Dr. Ellie Hamburger

Almost one month in, and this has already been an eventful new year! We have already co-hosted two COVID webinar updates with Children’s National Hospital and a Grand Rounds on the 21st Century Cures Act and Adolescent Health  (remember you can access those recordings and materials on our website). Things at PHN are showing no signs of slowing; we have a lot in the works! This March, PHN is launching a learning collaborative on AAP recommended elements of well-child visits for adolescent and young adult patients focusing on immunizations, mental health screeners, and Social Determinants of Health screeners. As part of our VBC contracts, these AAP recommendations have been incentivized. We will address office strategies and workflows, as well as coding to ensure compensation. This Quality Improvement project will be driven by chart reviews; providers who treat adolescents in the primary care setting will be eligible to qualify for MOC credit. The January and February PHN Grand Rounds are included as part of the educational offerings for this initiative. You can watch the recordings if you weren’t able to make the sessions and claim credit for those. Please join us for a town hall on February 15  where we will share the project goals and outline the measures. 

 In this newsletter, we include information on the upcoming adolescent health-related Grand Rounds on HIV and STI testing, as well as an introduction to a new PHN team member. We know how important it is important to put a face to a name so each month will be featuring PHN team members who have joined us since we were last able to meet in person. Keep an eye on our website and your emails for all our upcoming events.

Sincerely,

Ellie

Ellie Hamburger, M.D.

Medical Director, PHN