News from the Georgia Chapter

  September 1, 2010

• 2010 Golf Tournament Cancelled:  The foundation’s Charity Golf Classic tournament, which was scheduled for September 15^th at the Cherokee Run Golf Club in Conyers has been cancelled due to poor greens conditions at the club.  This summer’s unprecedented heat has decimated golf greens around the state and turned many of them to dirt. Our efforts to find another satisfactory course on that date proved unsuccessful so we’re going to pass this year.  Full refunds will be given and golfer’s can still purchase the tournament shirt to assist the foundation.  Call 404-881-5091 or email jrice@gaaap.org for details. Golfers:we’ll see you at next year’s tournament at an outstanding course that you’ll be sure to enjoy.

• Pediatrics on the Perimeter Set for October 21-23:  The 2010 Fall Meeting, Pediatrics on the Perimeter will be held October 21-23, at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia Hotel.  This year’s chair is Lucky Jain, MD, of Emory University, Atlanta.  The meeting will be highlighted by national faculty members Pauline Duncan, MD, Burlington, Vt. (Bright Futures & adolescent medicine) and Alan Rogol, MD, Charlottesville, Va. (endocrinology). Seminars will be held on Thursday on: Coding & Practice management, Developmental pediatrics, Adolescent medicine, and Oral Health. Additionally, there will be a Young Physicians seminar on financial planning for YP's; and the Senior Section will feature a seminar on non-clinical career choices for pediatricans. For a complete schedule and registration information, click here on Details & Information. We hope to see you there!  For exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities, click here.

• Augusta Pediatrician Dr. Julian Tanenbaum Dies in Car Accident: We are deeply saddened to report to you the death of Dr. Julian ("Beryl") Tanenbaum and his wife Beverly, who were killed in an auto crash near Augusta on Sunday, August 15th..  Dr. Tanenbaum, 79, was the founding partner of Pediatric Partners in Augusta and a lifelong AAP and Chapter member.  Many of us last saw him when he attended Pediatrics by the Sea in June. Our deepest sympathies are extended to their family and many friends and colleagues in the Augusta community. More details are included in this article from the Augusta newspaper below.

   http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/2010-08-16/augusta-couple-killed-wreck-0?v=1282004902

• Georgia Pediatric Practice Managers and Nurses Fall Meetings to be held on November 5th:  The Fall Meeting of the GPNA & GPPMA will be held in Atlanta at the Cobb Galleria Centre on November 5th.  This year's event will feature the participation by the state's pediatric networks and promises to be an event you won't want to miss. Please mark your calendar for this educational and networking event planned for and by pediatric practice managers and nurses.  Details to come.

• GA WIC Announces New Infant Formula Rebate Contract: Georgia’s WIC has announced that Nestlé Infant Nutrition (Nestlé) has won the bid to be the rebate contractor of infant formula for Georgia’s WIC.  The newly awarded contract will transition to Nestlé from Abbott Nutrition. The contract with Nestlé will go into effect October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2013. 

• Medicaid Incentive Program: On July 13, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Final Rule establishing the criteria with which eligible pediatricians, other health providers, and hospitals must comply in order qualify for the incentive payments available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Providers are not required to begin participating in the incentive program in 2011; however, Medicaid providers must begin receiving payments no later than 2016 to be eligible for payments. Stay tuned for more information from the AAP.

  Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics has developed a website to assist pediatricians in understanding what is required to receive the incentive payments through Medicaid. To access the site please go to http://www.aap.org/ehr

• Reminder: Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) moving to HP Enterprise Services (HP) as new Medicaid fiscal agent on November 1 (replacing ACS): To learn about critical transition information and preview the new Georgia Health Partnership Web Portal and billing software, training and implementation workshops are scheduled August 2010 through October 2010. Providers are urged to bring or send their practice managers, billing staff, office administrators and front office staff to at least one workshop. Sessions will be held throughout Georgia and will provide information on the November  transition. This information includes: 

  Changes in Fiscal Agent Responsibilities:

  • Key implementation dates that may affect your daily operations

  • New billing requirements

  • New mailing addresses and contact information
  • New EDI requirements that need to be shared with your billing agents, software vendors and trading partners

  • How to submit and review various transactions on the new Web Portal including:

                                  Claims

                                   Prior Authorizations

                                   Referrals

                                   Provider Enrollment

                                   New claims submission software

• Attendees must individually register to reserve a seat. To register on line please go to the Provider Readiness Web Portal located at http://providerinfo.mmis.georgia.gov/providerprereadiness/home.aspx and select the workshop registration link. Upon receipt of your registration, a confirmation notice will be sent via email to the address provided on the registration. To register via USPS you must complete and return the registration form. 

• Questions regarding the workshops can be sent via e mail to GAworkshopregistration@hp.com. Please monitor future communications for related information posted at http://providerinfo.mmis.georgia.gov/providerprereadiness/home.aspx.  

• Chapter Webpage for Updates on Novel H1N1 Influenza (Last Update: March 18, 2010):  Click here for H1N1 influenza updates and information.

• New Officers & Board Members Elected:  Congratulations to new Chapter officers & board members elected at the June annual meeting. They are: Kathryn Cheek, MD, President, Columbus; Robert Wiskind, MD, Vice President, Atlanta.  New board members include: Karen Timberlake, MD, Rome; Judson Miller, MD, Atlanta; &  Jeff Lewis, MD, Atlanta, who will take their seats at the Board of Directors meeting on October 21st. They are part of the Class of 2012 who were elected in June. Welcome aboard and thank you for serving the Chapter!

• Kudos!.........to these Chapter members on their recent accomplishments:  Peter Fischbach, MD, Atlanta, recently elected as vice president of the Pediatric Congenital Electrophysiology Society...Charles Linder, MD, Augusta, received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Medical College of Ga...William Mahle, MD, Atlanta elected vice president of the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study Group...Dennis Murray, MD, Augusta, recently elected chair of the AAP Section on Infectious Disease and the author of an article in the April AAP News on coding for consultants…and Robert Vincent, MD, Atlanta, on his election as president of the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Cardiology.

     To reach us....

Georgia Chapter
American Academy of Pediatrics

 1330 West Peachtree Street NW, Suite 500

Atlanta, Georgia 30309-2904
    Office hrs. 8:30am - 5:00pm EST   

Phone: 404-881-5020     Fax: (404) 249-9503

See Staff Directory for direct phone lines & email addresses for staff members.

Direct questions & comments on the medical content of this website to Website Editor, at

All other questions can be emailed to the Chapter Executive Assistant.