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Department of PracticeThe Department of Practice
provides a number of informational services for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Activities focus on pediatric practice, physician payment systems, private
payer advocacy, research supporting public and private sector advocacy, and
children's health insurance status as well as the maintenance of an extensive
collection of books, journals and other sources of information through the Bakwin
Library. Many of the Department's vast array or resources can be found on Practice
Management Online (PMO), a free on-line resource available to AAP members. The
Department also provides support to the AAP committees, councils, and sections
that focus on socioeconomic, legal, and technological issues, including an actuarial
analysis of pediatric medical costs. Three divisions are housed in the Department
of Practice: the Division of Health Care Finance and Quality Improvement, the
Division of Library and Archival Services and the Division of Pediatric Practice.
The Division of Health Care Finance and Quality
Improvement provides analysis and program support for AAP committees, councils,
and sections that address the financing and delivery of pediatric care. Critical
topics addressed in the Division include quality improvement including the Quality
Improvement Innovation Network and patient safety,
CPT and ICD-9-CM coding, the Medicare Resource-Based Relative
Value Scale (RBRVS) physician fee schedule, and medical
liability. The Division also prepares clinical
practice guidelines via the Partnership for Policy Implementation for managing
specific pediatric conditions. The following sections are housed in the division:
complementary and integrative medicine,
epidemiology, and home care.
The Division of Library and Archival Services houses
the Bakwin Library and the Pediatric
History Center. The primary role of the Division is to provide Academy staff
and members with the information they need to further the Academy's mission and
to preserve the history of the Academy and the healthcare of children. The Pediatric
History Center also includes a program of oral histories of leaders in child health
care as well as a collection of pediatric artifacts and other historical resources.
In addition, the division houses the Native
American child health initiatives and the Reach
Out and Read American Indian/Alaska Native Coalition. The Division of Pediatric
Practice addresses important issues about the ways in which pediatric care is
provided as well as topics of special concern in pediatrics. Areas of focus include
practice management, (COPAM,
SOAPM), immunization
financing and delivery, HIPAA, and medical
informatics/health information technology. The Division is home to several
topic-specific programs including: breastfeeding
initiatives and oral health initiatives. In addition to developing resources
and providing technical assistance to members, Division staff also coordinate
activities for pediatric practice managers, and work in collaboration with the
US Department of Health and Human Services on several grant programs.
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