A Message from Shelly Voet, MD
July 26, 2022
Hello to my fellow community pediatric providers! I hope you are enjoying your summer and have had time to relax with family and friends. Thanks for reading Synapse. There are several articles about treatment services including BPD, Congenital Muscular Torticollis, and the new CCHMC Opiod Use Clinic for patients 16-21 years.
CPAC – In August, our Community Practice Advisory Council welcomes Dr. Shana Alexander, of Healthsource Ohio, as our new/returning East side and FQHC system representative. Dr. Alexander is a former member of the CPAC group. We are excited to work with her again! Dr. Alexander is assuming the role from Dr. Jillian Schaffeld, who will be in a new CPAC role focused on provider education. Our regional CPAC members are:
Dr. Jim Davis, TriHealth Oxford Pediatrics, Northwest
Dr. Pierre Manfroy, Northeast Pediatrics, North
Dr. Rob Engelhardt, TriHealth Queen City Physicians Pediatrics, West
Dr. Betsy Lazaron, The Christ Hospital Family Medicine, Central
Dr. Rick Berger, ESD Pediatrics, East Central
Dr. Shana Alexander, Healthsource Ohio, East Region (and FQHC specific rep)
Dr. Steve Warrick, Pediatric Associates PSC, Northern Kentucky
All CPAC physicians are members of the Community Medical Staff. They work closely with Physician Outreach liaisons and support all regional providers by representing you at meetings with leadership and specialists every month. We also work with Dr. Paul Bunch, of Springdale Mason Pediatrics, who is serving as the elected community member of the Medical Executive Committee at CCHMC. Please reach out to us if you have questions.
Newborns – Dr. Julie Ware in Neonatology has let us know that some of the local busy birthing hospitals are having difficulty getting newborns in for follow-up promptly. She recognizes this is a busy time of year for us, but the hospitals are reporting some first available appointments are over a week out. Please check to make sure your staff can schedule newborns within 48 hours to ensure best possible continuity of care!
Radiology – If you missed it in Weekly Vitals, please note that supply chain issues are causing shortages of contrast material for pediatric fluoro VCUGs. While a fluoro VCUG should still be ordered for a first-time study in a boy, a NUCLEAR MEDICINE CYSTOGRAM is acceptable for girls and any follow-up study.
COVID-19 – This month pediatric practices across our region added long-awaited COVID-19 vaccinations for children 6 months to 5 years on to the busy summer well visit schedule, after approval came in late June. Once again, pediatric practices have stepped up to provide what is needed for kids, despite the challenges. As numbers continue to increase in our community, remember that we have the updated pediatric treatment algorithm from Infectious Disease HERE. As of July 26, CCHMC also announced a return to universal masking for employees in all indoor spaces unless alone in a closed room.
Psychiatry – Our Community Practice Advisory Council was grateful to meet with Dr. Suzanne Sampang from the inpatient psychiatry team at CCHMC to discuss ideal communication with PCPs. We look forward to ongoing collaboration. We will be meeting regularly with Psychiatry and PIRC and hope to continue to share resources regularly.
Referral Letter Project – CPAC has been working with Dr. Andy Spooner and his team in IS on a project to help improve the reliability of referral letters being sent after CCHMC specialist visits. Multiple divisions are participating. CPAC members will be meeting with additional divisions over the upcoming months.
Resident/PCP Meet and Greet – Mark your calendars for this annual event Thursday, September 15 at 6:30p. Location is TBD.
Dr. James “Jim” Tweddell - This month our pediatric community mourns the loss of a true giant in the field of pediatric cardiac surgery, Dr. James Tweddell at 62. His extraordinary contributions to advancing the care of children with congenital heart disease are detailed in an article in this issue of Synapse.
Thanks again for all that you do for kids,
Shelly
Shelly F. Voet MD
Pediatric Associates PSC
CCHMC Executive Community Physician Leader