Returning to school can cause some children and teens anxiety, stress and depression. As young patients return to school next month, be prepared to offer them and their caregivers behavioral health support should the need arise. Read the full article for a complete list of resources VHAN offers members, patients and their caregivers.

CMS announced 395 new ICD-10-CM codes, set to take effect on October 1, 2023. The new codes must be used for discharges occurring from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024 and for patient encounters occurring from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024. Read the full article for some key codes your staff should be aware of.

In the future, social determinants of health are expected to play a more prominent role in healthcare payer models as the industry continues to recognize their impact on patient outcomes and overall healthcare costs. What do you need to know about the social determinants that affect your patients?

Many who have cared for a loved one at the end of their life understand the role social workers can play in helping patients and families make their way through a stressful and emotionally charged time. Providing social work services for palliative and hospice care can be extra challenging, but for VHAN social worker team manager Cate Mart, LCSW, the connections she establishes with patients and their families make her job gratifying and worthwhile. Read the full article to learn how Cate helped one family make important end-of-life decisions.

For the past seven years, VHAN’s Beverly Puckett has served as a connection between the network and pediatric practice members who have contracted lives enrolled with VHAN. Learn more about her work as a Principal Clinical Quality Transformation Advisor.

Adolescence, those formative years between childhood and adulthood, can be a confusing and sometimes challenging time as young people go through changes both emotional and physical. It’s also a time of discovery as they learn to form their individual identity. A big part of that journey is sexuality, finding where they fit in and how they identify on the spectrum. VHAN Social Workers support young patients through all stages of life, providing behavioral health referrals when needed along the way.

For patients recovering from a recent hospitalization, trying to better manage a chronic disease or navigating a complex medical condition, VHAN’s Care Management program offers personalized care that goes beyond simply addressing physical symptoms. VHAN’s team of care navigators consider their mental, emotional and psychosocial needs as well, improving the patient experience and producing more positive outcomes. Read the full article for a real-world example of how VHAN Care Navigators go above and beyond to help patients.

To improve Erlanger Health System’s (EHS) AWV completion rate and deliver vital preventive care, the Erlanger Medical Group (EMG) quality team implemented an Annual Wellness Visit template and clinical education program in 2018. Since implementing the new process, Erlanger has experienced a year-over-year increase in total Medicare AWVs. Read the article to leverage best practices from the EMG quality team.

One in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. That’s a sobering statistic, and it’s one that compels members of Vanderbilt Population Health’s Quality Impact Specialists (QIS) Team to motivate patients to get their annual breast cancer screenings. By pairing new technology strategies with more efficient communications, last year the team achieved dramatic results in the number of patients scheduled for these screenings. Read the full article to find best practices your staff can use to increase screening appointments and meet this important quality benchmark.