August 2024

Provider Moves
Munson Healthcare's Provider Moves webpage has been updated for July including new providers, practice changes, retirees, providers no longer on staff (or practicing), and other updates (e.g., name changes, practice moves, new phone and fax numbers).

For a complete directory of Munson-credentialed providers, go to Find A Doctor.

Please join us in welcoming the following new Munson-employed providers:

The following Munson-employed providers are new to the following MHC practices:

Munson Orthopedic Institute
Peter McAndrews, DO, and Amy Collins, NP, have recently left Munson Orthopedic Institute (MOI). We are working with their patients to ensure continuity of care. Questions? Call 231-935-5880.

Please Complete the 2024 Northern Michigan Community Health Survey
We need your voice! Every three years, MiThrive — of which Munson Healthcare is core partner — conducts a community health survey to help us plan and prioritize community health activities to achieve the greatest impact.

The 2024 Northern Michigan Community Health Survey is an opportunity for providers and healthcare staff to share your perspective on how various issues impact the lives and health of your patients. Patients are also encouraged to take the survey. Please take 10-15 minutes to share your thoughts on what makes your community a great place to live – or where it could improve. All responses are confidential.

To learn more and to complete the survey by Sept. 20, visit northernmichiganchir.org/mithrive/mithrive-community-survey/.  

Together, we can make a brighter future for Northern Michigan! 

 Surgical Resources

What Surgical Offices Need to Know About IPO Procedures
Inpatient Only (IPO) procedures are surgical services requiring inpatient care because of:

  • the nature of the procedure,
  • underlying physical condition of the individual requiring the service, or
  • the need for at least 24 hours of post-operative recovery time or monitoring before safely discharging.

Inpatient Only procedures are those that are considered (and paid) as inpatient, regardless of the patient’s expected or actual length of stay.

The 2024 CMS Inpatient Only (IPO) Procedure lists, which outline procedures Medicare will pay as an inpatient procedure in the acute hospital setting, were released at the beginning of the year and are available online at munsonhealthcare.org/ipo. These lists are important because Medicare, Medicare Managed Care, and Medicaid/Managed Medicaid do NOT cover IPO procedures done as an outpatient. Note: Commercial payers may cover IPO procedures as an outpatient.

It’s important to ALWAYS check CPT Codes for IPO before scheduling surgical procedures as outpatient. Otherwise, your surgeon and the surgery center might not get reimbursed.

To make checking CPT codes easier for your staff you can implement technology solutions, such as I/O Surg or CODES Solution, which are search engines that quickly and accurately identify the correct billing code and patient status for Medicare procedures to minimize costly errors in pre-op patient scheduling and improve reimbursements.

A reminder, Outpatient surgical procedures requiring overnight care should be admitted to OPE status (not Observation). Munson’s Utilization Management team will contact the ordering provider for an Observation order if appropriate.

Streamlining Care: MMC Pre-Operative Assessment Clinic (POAC)
Earlier this year, Munson Medical Center’s Advanced Registration and Testing Center (ARTC) merged with the Pre-Operative Assessment Clinic to become the Pre-Operative Assessment Clinic (POAC). This decision was made to streamline operations, improve patient experience, optimize outcomes, and expand services while preparing our patients for a successful procedure.

To learn more about the latest news from MMC’s POAC as well as tips and tricks for boarding slips and scheduling resources, click here.

SurgiNet Go Live Update
As communicated in the June/July 2024 Practice Pro, Munson's One Patient Record Wave 2 — which includes SurgiNet — launch date has been rescheduled to the first quarter of 2025. This delay allows the One Patient Record (OPR) project team more time to resolve technical issues that were uncovered during the initial integration testing (IT1). Look for more updates after IT2 testing is concluded in late August or early September.

 Resources

Provider Onboarding and Offboarding Resources
Have a provider joining or leaving Munson Healthcare's medical staff? We have a helpful list of onboarding and offboarding resources available on our website.

Practice Resources Available Online
Munson's For Providers website (munsonhealthcare.org/forproviders) gathers important practice resources in one convenient location, including:

The For Providers website also has clinical resources, education opportunities, medical staff information, and other resources for your providers.

Telmediq Paging
As of July 16, PerfectServe’s Telmediq has replaced both Spok Mobile and SmartWeb for paging.

Please remind your providers there has been no change to the order entry process. Providers should continue to follow our existing procedures for placing orders, i.e., Provider Order Entry plus the Verbal Orders policy exceptions.

If your provider is experiencing Telmediq paging issues or has questions, the fastest way to get help is to call the Help Desk at 231-935-6053, which is available 24/7.

On-demand training, job aids, and other resources can be found at munsonhealthcare.org/perfectserve.

 Services

Munson Expands Patient Outreach Program Following ED Visit
To improve the patient experience and outcomes, Munson Healthcare has partnered with SCP Health to pilot an outreach campaign to adult patients 18 years and older upon discharge. After a successful 4-month pilot at 4* of our system hospitals, we have expanded this program to the following emergency departments (ED), which will complete our system-wide implementation of this initiative:

  • Charlevoix Hospital
  • Munson Medical Center (Traverse City)
  • Otsego Memorial Hospital (Gaylord)

For details, click here.

*Cadillac, Grayling, Manistee, and Paul Oliver Memorial hospitals were included in the original pilot.

Resources for Same-Day Care
As a nationally-recognized tourist destination, Northern Michigan sees a 42% bump in population during the summer causing an increased demand for healthcare services. While an emergency room has been a traditional access point, it is not always the most appropriate place for patients to seek care.

For residents with non-life-threatening concerns, a primary care provider should always be the 1st stop. For those visiting the region or residents whose PCP is unavailable, a reminder of a few Munson resources for same-day care:

Our goal is to make sure people get the right care, in the right place, at the right time. For more on where to seek care, read the news release or visit munsonhealthcare.org/findcare.

Prudenville Urgent Care Expands Hours
Prudenville Urgent Care has expanded its hours: Monday - Saturday, 7 am - 7 pm.

Click here for a flyer to print and post in your office.

New Outpatient Surgery Center Planned in Gaylord and Cadillac
Last week, Munson Healthcare announced plans for two new joint venture outpatient surgery centers in Cadillac and Gaylord. These centers are integral components of Munson Healthcare's Regional Care Transformation Plan, aimed at meeting the evolving needs of patients throughout the region.

The new surgery centers will offer a lower cost option for many surgeries while continuing to provide high quality care close to home. The centers will complement the full range of surgical services currently offered at Cadillac and Otsego Memorial Hospitals, reinforcing Munson Healthcare's dedication to comprehensive care delivery. Munson Healthcare’s investment in these centers represents a significant milestone, underscoring a commitment to investing in the region's health infrastructure.

To learn more about the new outpatient survey centers in Cadillac and Gaylord, read the news release.

 Clinical Patient Care

Michigan Pain Consultants Clinic Closure | Resources for Providers
Michigan Pain Consultants (MPC) — who had approximately 4,500 patients with at least 1 opioid prescription fulfillment — has closed all its Western Michigan locations except Grand Rapids, which will close in September 2024. For details, read the Michigan HAN Alert.

Resources
Michigan Overdose Prevention Engagement Network (OPEN) has provided important practice tips and resources to support the surrounding communities to respond to this challenging situation and enable safe transitions in care for affected patients.

For provider guidance, read this memo from the Michigan Center for Clinical Systems Improvement (MI-CCSI).

Webinar
For more guidance, providers are invited to join a webinar hosted by OPEN.

  • Title: Strategies for Managing Complex Pain During Clinic Closures
  • When: Thursday, Aug. 22, 12 - 1 pm 
  • CME: CME credit pending; meets DEA Training Requirements
  • Register: Click here to register

Find A Doctor
We understand the challenges this sudden change poses for those patients who depend on MPC services for pain management. To ensure patients continue to receive the care they need, we advise they contact their primary care provider. Patients without a PCP can call Munson's Find A Doctor at 231-935-0951 for a list of providers near them who are accepting new patients and take their insurance.

CDC COVID-19, Flu, and RSV Vaccine Recommendations for 2024-2025

COVID-19

  • CDC recommends everyone ages ≥6 months receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of if they have previously received a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • This recommendation will take effect as soon as the new COVID-19 vaccines are available later this year.
  • Read full CDC recommendations.

Flu

  • CDC recommends everyone ages ≥6 months, with rare exceptions, receive an updated 2024-2025 flu vaccine as long as influenza viruses are circulating.
  • September and October remain the best times for vaccination.
  • July and August are not recommended for most people, with the exception of:
    • Pregnant people in third trimester to protect the baby from flu after birth
    • Children who need 2 doses of the flu vaccine should receive it as soon as it becomes available with the 2nd dose >4 weeks after
    • Children who have health care visits during these months and may not receive it later in the year
    • Adults and 1st and 2nd trimester pregnant people who will not be possible to vaccinate in September or later. 
  • 2024-2025 flu vaccines will be trivalent and will protect against H1N1, H3N2, and a B/Victoria Lineage virus. Learn more about this season's vaccine composition.
  • Read full recommendations.

RSV (adult)

  • For this upcoming respiratory virus season, CDC recommends:
    • Everyone ages 75+ receive the RSV vaccine.
    • Ages 60–74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV (e.g., lung disease, heart disease, live in a nursing home) receive the RSV vaccine.
  • RSV vaccine is not an annual vaccine. Eligible adults can get the RSV vaccine at any time, but before late summer or early fall is best.
  • Providers should recommend RSV vaccines to their eligible patients and discuss what other vaccines they will need this fall to help prevent respiratory infections.
  • Read full recommendations.

 Reminder

Page Corporate Communications if a Reporter Contacts You
If a reporter or other media representative ever approaches your office or one of your providers with a request for comment on a story or any other communications request, please have them page the NEW on-call media officer pager at 231-465-3374. Someone from the Corporate Communications team will respond to them as soon as possible.

Please remember that all calls/interviews and on-site audio/videotaping with news media must be coordinated through Corporate Communications. The Corporate Communications team can also be paged directly through Telmediq by searching for the MHC On Call Communications Media Group.

 Education

2024 Northern Michigan HIV Summit
Healthcare professionals and members of the public are invited to attend the 2024 Northern Michigan HIV Summit hosted by Munson Healthcare's Thomas Judd Care Center. This free event will feature educational sessions related to HIV/AIDS issues, the presentation of this year's Community Collaborations Award, and a 30-year Thomas Judd Care Center anniversary celebration video. For a list of topics and speakers, click here.

Tickets to a VIP “Safe Sips” reception are available to early registrants. As presenting sponsor of Up North Pride, TJCC will host this pre-Comedy Night event featuring mocktails, munchies, and ticket to the comedy fest. Tickets are limited, so register early!

  • When: Friday, Sept. 27, 9:30 am – 3 pm
  • Where: Attend in person — The Hagerty Center, Traverse City — or virtually
  • CME: This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
  • Register: Here

HealthStream Reminders for Past Due Assignments
Starting Sept. 1, your MHC-credentialed providers will start receiving reminders to their mhc.net email for any past due assignments in HealthStream. Reminders will help support the upcoming One Patient Record education as well as keep providers current with AHA certification, compliance/safety curriculums, and N-95 fit testing.

If your providers don't know how to access HealthStream, they can refer to the job aid for step-by-step instructions.

Upcoming CME Opportunities
For a list of upcoming events, visit our website.

To read past issues of Practice Pro, visit our website. 
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