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IN THE NEWS
Providing staff, physicians, and patients with relevant & up to date information
Northern California Shriners Hospital Offers Live, Online CME
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According to Loren Davidson, M.D., medical director of the pediatric rehabilitation program at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Northern California, a physician need not have a definitive diagnosis for a child with suspected developmental delay to refer that child for state services. Children under 3 years of age may be eligible for assistance from the California Department of Developmental Services if they show signs of developmental delay or have documented risk factors, such as pre-term birth. In a recent continuing medical education session, Dr. Davidson stressed the importance of referring patients early to take advantage of neuroplasticity. To learn more, visit https://www. shrinerschildrens.org/continuing-education.
Kaiser Permanente’s New Lathrop Mental Health and Wellness Center Meets Growing Demand for Services in the Central Valley
Kaiser Permanente Central Valley recently opened the Lathrop Mental Health and Wellness Center providing access to mental health and addiction services and helping to meet the growing demand in the Central Valley.
The 26,000-square-foot Lathrop facility, located off South Harlan Road, features 36 provider rooms, 14 group therapy rooms, and is the first in Kaiser Permanente’s Central Valley service area to offer addiction medicine along with child, adolescent and adult mental health services under one roof.
“This center is an important addition to our community as we continue our work to address the growing need for mental health services,” said Corwin Harper, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente’s Central Valley service area. “As we emerge from the pandemic, many find themselves struggling to overcome the mental toll of the past year and a half. We are committed to increasing access, removing the stigma of seeking mental health care and providing pathways to recovery.”
To meet the mental health needs across a rapidly growing region, Kaiser Permanente has prioritized access to behavioral health services. Last November, Kaiser Permanente opened the Enterprise Mental Health and Wellness Center in Modesto and also recently expanded the behavioral health departments in Tracy and Stockton.
In April, the Stockton Behavioral Health Department was remodeled and expanded, adding 14 more provider offices and two group therapy rooms. Last November, the Modesto-Enterprise Mental Health and Wellness Center opened its 27,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the Bangs Ave Medical Offices with 52 provider offices and seven group therapy rooms. In late 2019, the Tracy Medical Offices Behavioral Health Department expanded to include nine new provider offices.
“Kaiser Permanente’s investment in these facilities is an investment in the health of our community,” said Sanjay Marwaha, MD, physician-in-chief for Kaiser Permanente Central Valley. “These resources provide convenient access for the community, leverage the latest technologies and enable us to best meet the specific needs of our members.”
For more information about Kaiser Permanente mental health services, including how to access care and make appointments, please visit kp.org/mentalhealth.
St. Joseph's Appoints Dr. Jennifer Oakes, MD, as Designated Institutional Officer
St. Joseph’s Medical Center is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Jennifer Oakes, MD, FACEP, FACMT to the position of Director of Academic Affairs and Designated Institutional Official for Graduate Medical Education at St. Joseph's. In this role, Dr. Oakes will be the senior leader responsible for both graduate and undergraduate medical education programs at St. Joseph’s, and will be responsible for the reporting relationship between St. Joseph’s and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education , the organization that provides accreditation of our residency programs.
Dr. Oakes attended medical school at the State University of New York - Upstate Medical University and completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at the Harvardaffiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She subsequently completed a fellowship in Medical Toxicology at the Emory University/Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Joint Fellowship, and served in a variety of clinical and academic leadership roles prior to coming to St. Joseph's Medical Center in 2017. Currently she is an adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine at Touro University Osteopathic College of Medicine - California, and for the past four years has done an outstanding job in serving as the founding Program Director for St. Joseph’s Emergency Medicine Residency Program.
St. Joseph’s Celebrates TAVR Milestones
St. Joseph's Heart & Vascular Institute recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of the start of its Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) Program. TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure that treats aortic stenosis without requiring open heart surgery, resulting in faster recovery times and an improved quality of life. The fiveyeaanniversary of the program also coincided with the hospital performing it’s 300th TAVR procedure.
As a newly named CommonSpirit Health TAVR Center of Excellence, St. Joseph’s is proud to be home to one of the largest and most recognized cardiovascular care teams in the state, including the facility’s multidisciplinary TAVR team. Dr. Jennifer Oakes, MD
IN THE NEWS
Providing staff, physicians, and patients with relevant & up to date information
TAVR Milestones
Physician Education & Resources At Your Fingertips
St. Joseph’s has launched a one-stop webpage for physicians looking to find the latest information. Physicians can find information about free CME opportunities, Quarterly Provider Wellness Mixers and community updates. To learn more and access all of the great information, please visit StJosephsCares.org/PhysicianEducation. HOPE Program
HOPE Program Graduates First Cohort of Nursing Students
After years of facing barriers to pursuing a career in nursing, 12 local incumbent healthcare workers have graduated as the first cohort of HOPE Program nursing students at St. Joseph’s Medical Center.
The HOPE Program, which stands for Helping Our People Elevate, was developed both to help meet the local workforce demand and to help remove barriers for high school students and hospital workers pursuing careers in nursing. The programs’ incumbent worker pathway enables current employees at local healthcare facilities to make the transition into San Joaquin Delta College’s Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program.
“Building up the next generation of nurses in our community is close to my heart, which is what inspired me
to name this program HOPE,” said Anitra Williams, DNP, Director of Nursing Operations at St. Joseph’s. “The Hope Program truly is what its name stands for, an opportunity for us to elevate our own gifted employees, as well as our community’s youth.”
Ten employees from St. Joseph’s Medical Center graduated the program as part of the first cohort, in addition to one employee from St. Joseph’s Behavioral Health Center and one from San Joaquin General Hospital.
Health Plan of San Joaquin Earns Reaccreditation as a Health Plan NCQA (National Committee for Quality Assurance)
– Thanks to hard work and collaboration throughout their provider network and plan staff, HPSJ in June successfully completed the process for three-year accreditation by NCQA. HPSJ has been accredited since 2015.
Tools You Can Use – From the Provider Services Team at Health Plan of San Joaquin
• NEW Provider Checklist: VBP Payments & Prop 56 Reimbursement Guide – This is a reminder that visits for HPSJ patients should include the Checklist services – and practices may qualify for additional VBP/
Prop 56 reimbursement. Note: Encounters occurring at Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health
Clinics, American Indian Health Clinics and Cost
Based Reimbursement Clinics will be excluded from
VBP payment. Find this two-pager at http://www.hpsj. com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/provider-VBPreimbursement-guide-letter-1.pdf.
• Clinical Practice Guidelines (2021). Now Online – Find the Health Plan of San Joaquin PDF at https:// www.hpsj.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Clinical-
Practice-Guidelines-2021.pdf.
• For Outpatient Care – Current Medications for
Outpatient Treatments of COVID-19 – Management of COVID-19 is rapidly evolving. There are only a few medications that have obtained Emergency Use
Authorization (EUA) from the FDA to treat this disease in the ambulatory population. To assist providers, as they appropriately advocate for and treat patients,
Health Plan of San Joaquin’s Pharmacy Department has brought together in this single piece all the current FDA-authorized treatment options for outpatient management for COVID-19. See it – and updates – at www.hpsj.com/pharmacy-announcements/.
• Mental Health Experts – Easily Accessed via Health
Plan of San Joaquin – As so many have lived with the fear and restrictions of COVID-19 – especially teens and others who may still struggle, HPSJ’s Online
Provider Directory is your link to vetted, daily updated help for HPSJ members. Find behavioral health professionals and facilities at www.hpsj.com/find-aprovider.
Improved Payment Experience for Health Plan
of San Joaquin providers – To ensure no delays in payments, many providers have already acted
In the fall, HPSJ will transition to a new payment system. To ensure a smooth transition for providers’ electronic payments – or to transition from paper – providers who have not already done so are asked to supply the name and email address of the person authorized to make decisions on claims and payments. This information can be entered at www.hpsj.com/paycontact. For questions, see www. hpsj.com/pay, or call HPSJ Provider Services at 1.888.936. PLAN (7526).
DHM Providing Free Breast Cancer Support Groups
Join Doctors Hospital of Manteca for Breast Cancer Support Groups on the third Tuesday of every month at 5 p.m. in our Conference Center (off the cafeteria) at 1205 E. North Street in Manteca. We provide these free support groups for breast cancer patients and survivors. While we focus mainly on breast cancer, individuals with other types of cancers are welcome.
Upcoming dates: September 21 October 19 November 16 December 21 For those with questions, please call (209) 239-8382.
Physician Education & Resources
St. Joseph’s Medical Center offers a variety of updates and education just for physicians. We have created one central page where you can get updates on everything from upcoming physician events and news, to CME presentations. To learn more and
access session links please visit:
StJosephsCares.org/PhysicianEducation
Free CME Opportunities for Physicians
Continuing Medical Education (CME) presentations, including Tuesday Noon Conferences, are listed on the web page with the appropriate meeting links.
Quarterly Provider Wellness Mixers
Join with your colleagues for a time to connect and decompress. Our next mixer will be held on September 21, 5:30 - 7pm, at Stockton Golf & Country Club.
Community Updates
Find information on upcoming community updates and other hospital events and presentations.
CME
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