Alabama Medicaid Commissioner Stephanie Azar is trying to do the impossible. She is cutting the Medicaid program because of the completely inadequate funding appropriated by the Alabama legislature for FY 2017 while still hoping Alabama will have an effective healthcare delivery system. It does not work that way. Hope is not a strategy.
Azar's first step is the August 1 reduction of physician reimbursement by eliminating the Medicaid physician "payment bump," a move that could have significant adverse effects on children and Alabama's healthcare delivery system. The Alabama Medicaid agency has historically been one of the lowest state-funded agencies in the country.
A healthy, financially stable Medicaid program is vital to the more than 500,000 children served by the program, and it is critically important to the overall healthcare system in Alabama for all children. And it all begins with the primary care pediatricians and family medicine physicians in communities throughout Alabama who are on the front lines of healthcare.
Three-quarters of the Medicaid recipient population is under the age of 18 and account for almost half of the children in our State. For over 45 years, Medicaid has been an important part of Alabama's pediatric healthcare system. Importantly, Medicaid and commercial insurers provide coverage for 95 percent of our children. This is an outstanding achievement. As a result, the number of pediatricians across the State has increased, and Alabama ranks high in the nation in important child well-being markers, such as access to care, immunizations, timely preventive care and routine care for chronic illnesses. Our front line pediatricians and family care physicians do a great job but now that is all in jeopardy.
Approximately 60 percent of Children's of Alabama's patient population is Medicaid-eligible. Children's is the State's only comprehensive pediatric medical center and Medicaid is important to our ability to continue to provide care for all of the ill and injured children who come to us from each of Alabama's 67 counties every year. The children of Alabama desperately need for Medicaid to have stable, long-term funding that can help ensure medical care is accessible and available for all our children and for the next generation to come.
Children's of Alabama will continue to work with policy and legislative leaders to find long-term, sustainable funding for the State's Medicaid program. It is imperative that the pediatric healthcare framework not be disrupted and that we are well positioned to address the future needs of our children. The primary care physicians are at the epicenter of care for children in communities throughout Alabama. Their success and viability is simply good for kids.
The UAB Department of Pediatrics has provided, and continues to provide, training for pediatricians who are eager to provide care for the next generation of Alabama's children. A stable Medicaid program will help us retain these young doctors in our State, particularly in communities where the number of physicians is already low. Fewer community pediatricians will mean more local emergency room visits and increased costs.
Children's of Alabama, the UAB Department of Pediatrics and our healthcare partners across the State call on our governor, legislators and policymakers to do what is right for children and our medical community. Alabama must stop the annual, one-time band-aid approach to Medicaid funding. Alabama's children deserve a viable, sustainable long-term solution to Medicaid funding and only the governor and the legislature can do that job.
Sincerely,
Mike Warren
President and CEO, Children's of Alabama
Mitch Cohen, M.D.
Children's Physician-in-Chief
Chair of the UAB Department of PediatricsChair of the UAB Department of Pediatrics
Azar's first step is the August 1 reduction of physician reimbursement by eliminating the Medicaid physician "payment bump," a move that could have significant adverse effects on children and Alabama's healthcare delivery system. The Alabama Medicaid agency has historically been one of the lowest state-funded agencies in the country.
A healthy, financially stable Medicaid program is vital to the more than 500,000 children served by the program, and it is critically important to the overall healthcare system in Alabama for all children. And it all begins with the primary care pediatricians and family medicine physicians in communities throughout Alabama who are on the front lines of healthcare.
Three-quarters of the Medicaid recipient population is under the age of 18 and account for almost half of the children in our State. For over 45 years, Medicaid has been an important part of Alabama's pediatric healthcare system. Importantly, Medicaid and commercial insurers provide coverage for 95 percent of our children. This is an outstanding achievement. As a result, the number of pediatricians across the State has increased, and Alabama ranks high in the nation in important child well-being markers, such as access to care, immunizations, timely preventive care and routine care for chronic illnesses. Our front line pediatricians and family care physicians do a great job but now that is all in jeopardy.
Approximately 60 percent of Children's of Alabama's patient population is Medicaid-eligible. Children's is the State's only comprehensive pediatric medical center and Medicaid is important to our ability to continue to provide care for all of the ill and injured children who come to us from each of Alabama's 67 counties every year. The children of Alabama desperately need for Medicaid to have stable, long-term funding that can help ensure medical care is accessible and available for all our children and for the next generation to come.
Children's of Alabama will continue to work with policy and legislative leaders to find long-term, sustainable funding for the State's Medicaid program. It is imperative that the pediatric healthcare framework not be disrupted and that we are well positioned to address the future needs of our children. The primary care physicians are at the epicenter of care for children in communities throughout Alabama. Their success and viability is simply good for kids.
The UAB Department of Pediatrics has provided, and continues to provide, training for pediatricians who are eager to provide care for the next generation of Alabama's children. A stable Medicaid program will help us retain these young doctors in our State, particularly in communities where the number of physicians is already low. Fewer community pediatricians will mean more local emergency room visits and increased costs.
Children's of Alabama, the UAB Department of Pediatrics and our healthcare partners across the State call on our governor, legislators and policymakers to do what is right for children and our medical community. Alabama must stop the annual, one-time band-aid approach to Medicaid funding. Alabama's children deserve a viable, sustainable long-term solution to Medicaid funding and only the governor and the legislature can do that job.
Sincerely,
Mike Warren
President and CEO, Children's of Alabama
Mitch Cohen, M.D.
Children's Physician-in-Chief
Chair of the UAB Department of PediatricsChair of the UAB Department of Pediatrics
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease recently awarded the UAB Department of Pediatrics contracts totaling $11.5 million under its Broad Agency Announcement mechanism to support two studies to be conducted at UAB and its partner academic sites.
The studies will assess treatment of babies born with congenital cytomegalovirus without symptoms, and frequency of neonatal herpes infections in the United States and Peru.
Almost one percent of babies born in the United States will have CMV, the largest non-genetic cause of sensory loss and mental disabilities. Ninety percent of these babies will be asymptomatic, or show no visible or laboratory evidence of the disease, at the time of birth. Early detection and close follow-up can lessen the effects of congenital CMV in infants. The new study, supported by a $10 million contract, will explore whether treating babies with four months of an oral drug – valganciclovir –that targets the virus can improve outcomes.
“UAB has been the world leader in studying congenital viral infections for the past 50 years,” said David Kimberlin, M.D., who holds the Sergio Stagno, M.D., Endowed Chair in Pediatric Infectious Disease at UAB. “Our team of researchers and physicians have been instrumental in learning more about CMV and treating the disease. The next step is being able to identify and treat CMV in babies who are asymptomatic at birth.”
A $1.5 million contract will support a study to assess the incidence of neonatal herpes infections in the United States and Peru using large databases in both countries to see how common the infection is. Knowledge gained from these investigations will inform future therapeutic studies aimed to decrease mother-to-infant transmission of herpes simplex virus. A prospective trial also will be conducted in Peru under this contract.
Other UAB researchers involved in these studies that improve the lives of children across the globe include Mary Wyatt Bowers, Penny Jester, Susan Branscum, Sara Davis, Juliette Southworth and Richard Whitley, M.D
Click here to read more on UAB News.
The studies will assess treatment of babies born with congenital cytomegalovirus without symptoms, and frequency of neonatal herpes infections in the United States and Peru.
Almost one percent of babies born in the United States will have CMV, the largest non-genetic cause of sensory loss and mental disabilities. Ninety percent of these babies will be asymptomatic, or show no visible or laboratory evidence of the disease, at the time of birth. Early detection and close follow-up can lessen the effects of congenital CMV in infants. The new study, supported by a $10 million contract, will explore whether treating babies with four months of an oral drug – valganciclovir –that targets the virus can improve outcomes.
“UAB has been the world leader in studying congenital viral infections for the past 50 years,” said David Kimberlin, M.D., who holds the Sergio Stagno, M.D., Endowed Chair in Pediatric Infectious Disease at UAB. “Our team of researchers and physicians have been instrumental in learning more about CMV and treating the disease. The next step is being able to identify and treat CMV in babies who are asymptomatic at birth.”
A $1.5 million contract will support a study to assess the incidence of neonatal herpes infections in the United States and Peru using large databases in both countries to see how common the infection is. Knowledge gained from these investigations will inform future therapeutic studies aimed to decrease mother-to-infant transmission of herpes simplex virus. A prospective trial also will be conducted in Peru under this contract.
Other UAB researchers involved in these studies that improve the lives of children across the globe include Mary Wyatt Bowers, Penny Jester, Susan Branscum, Sara Davis, Juliette Southworth and Richard Whitley, M.D
Click here to read more on UAB News.
The Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee is a federal advisory committee that provides recommendations to the NIH Director related to basic and clinical research involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules. Richard Whitley, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Disease, was recently named Chair and will be reporting directly to Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Director, National Institutes of Health.
Nine faculty projects have been funded by the School of Medicine Dean’s Research Award Program. These donor-funded awards, totaling $25,000, have been granted to promote faculty efforts in medical education and medical education research in the School of Medicine. Marjorie Lee White, M.D., M.P.P.M., M.A., Pediatric Emergency Medicine, received funding for her project, "Development of Interprofessional Education Communication Videos" in the amount of $2,000.
The 2016 UAB Perinatal Conference is now open for registration. This year’s conference is titled “If You Feed Them, They Will Grow.” The objective is to provide state-of-the art updates on the care of the neonate. This one-day conference is scheduled for Friday, July 22 beginning at 7:30 a.m. with registration and breakfast, in the Bradley Conference Center at Children’s of Alabama. Up to 8 CMEs and 9.6 Contact Hours are available.Click here for the informational brochure.
Margaux Barnes, Ph.D., Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, received funding from Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC) Pilot/Feasibility Grant Program for the proposal titled, “Mediational Analysis of Diet Composition, Physical Activity, and Lean Mass in Pediatric Patients with IBD.” The pilot program advisory committee of the NORC recommended funding of the application for $25,000 to be used by May 2017.
Randy Q. Cron, M.D., Ph.D., Pediatric Rheumatology, was nominated to serve on the Content Development Team (CDT) that will write items for the Pediatric Rheumatology in-training, certification, and MOC exams. The term will begin January 1, 2017 and end December 31, 2017 and can be extended annually for up to six years.
Maran Ramani, M.D., Neonatology, was recently selected for an award by the Perinatal Research Society (PRS) Young Investigator program to attend the upcoming Perinatal Research Society Annual Meeting and the NIH - Abbott Nutrition Pre-meeting Workshop September 21-25, 2016.
Eleven School of Medicine faculty projects were recently funded through an AMC21 initiative giving NIH-funded investigators incentive to submit a second R01. Suresh Boppana, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Disease, received the grant for the project, “The Role of T Cell Responses in Controlling HCMV Transmission via Breast Milk.” The 11 projects, chosen based on scientific merit, were eligible for $50,000 per year, for a project period of up to two years, pending appropriate progress and achieving benchmarks. The goal is to have a new funded R01 by the second year.
The NIH Awarded a R21 grant to Bill Britt, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Disease, for his study, “Identification of pre-fusion conformers of HCMV gB,” in the amount of $203,000 for the period 07/01/2016 – 06/30/2018.